Built In The Portal, Forged As Teams: Michigan, UConn Prove It Takes More Than Money To Win Title

INDIANAPOLIS - Dusty May stood with his Michigan team, soaking it all in as ‘One Shining Moment’ played on the video board above a confetti-filled basketball court. 

From his days as a student manager at Indiana to cutting down the nets as a national champion at Michigan, this was the moment he’d been chasing his entire life after tasting the Final Four with FAU just a few years ago. 

And yet, as confetti fell inside Lucas Oil Stadium, the noise surrounding this team never stopped.

From the outside, critics will say Michigan simply "bought" a championship through the transfer portal. That this was just another roster assembled with money in a new era of college basketball.

But if you watched this team, really watched them, you know that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Michigan’s Final Four Title Win Sends Message: The Big Ten Owns This Era Of College Athletics

Because what Michigan built wasn’t just a roster. It was a team. For an entire season, Dusty May demanded a buy-in. Not just from one or two players, but from everyone who walked into that locker room.

Yaxel Lendeborg. Elliot Cadeau. Morez Johnson Jr. Aday Mara. The list goes on, and not just from the Michigan side of Monday's showdown at the Final Four. 

Pieces brought together through the portal, sure. But molded into something far more difficult to achieve.

"I've never been around a group that truly supported, cared for each other, learned from each other, and didn't care about any of the personal stuff or accolades," May said on the court after winning a title. "They just continued to give, give and give. And then, to go the marathon just showed their commitment."

Built In The Portal, Forged As A Team: Michigan, UConn Prove It Takes More Than Money To Win Title (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

That’s what separated Michigan, and even UConn, on the march to a national title game. In an era where rosters can be flipped overnight and millions are poured into building teams, the Wolverines found something money still can’t buy—trust.

And please, save yourself the breath of complaining about how they did it. Yes, Michigan spent to build this roster. Five transfers in the starting lineup is proof of that reality.

The High Stakes of ROI in College Athletics

But talent alone doesn’t cut down nets, just ask the ones sitting at home wishing they were in Indianapolis fighting for a championship. 

If it did, plenty of ‘blue blood’ spenders would've been in the Elite Eight, or not dispatched from the NCAA Tournament on the first weekend. 

Instead, they’re heading back to the drawing board—checking bank accounts, scrolling through the portal, and trying to recreate something that can’t simply be purchased.

While Kentucky may have spent around $20 million on its roster, along with other prominent teams across the country diving head-first into maximizing their roster with expensive pieces, only one team was hoisting a trophy at the end. 

That is the risk you take in this era, and every coach in America knows it. 

Think about this: While Michigan and UConn were battling for a national championship, the transfer portal had already opened by the time each team made their way to respective locker rooms to either celebrate or reflect on what could've been. 

"When you bring a group this talented together, and they decide from the beginning that they're going to do it this way, and they never waver, and they never change, that's probably the most uncommon thing in athletics now,"  May said to open his press conference . "They allowed these guys to give themselves up for the group, and it's never guaranteed, but for these guys to cut down the nets after all they've sacrificed is pretty special."

Money Cannot Buy ‘Belief’, As Wolverines And Huskies Prove

In the tunnels beneath the stadium, Yaxel Lendeborg limped toward the podium.

Just 48 hours earlier, he’d sprained his MCL in the semifinal. In any other situation, shutting it down would’ve made sense — especially for a projected first-round NBA Draft pick. 

He’d already done enough. Earned enough. Proven enough. But missing this moment? That was never an option.

"I knew there was no way I was going to miss this game no matter what was going on," Yaxel said after the win. "I kept having opportunities to make plays, and I couldn't make the play. But these guys stuck with me no matter what."

After nearly two days of around-the-clock treatment—sometimes stretching into the early morning hours—he took the court at far less than 100%. Not for himself. For his team. That’s not something you can buy. That’s not something NIL deals guarantee.

That’s belief. That’s a sacrifice. That’s a locker room fully bought in.

Hurley's Reaction Of Defeat, Filled With Love And Appreciation

On the other side, Dan Hurley stood in an emotional UConn locker room, proud of a team that defied expectations just to get there. A group led by Alex Karaban, who came back for another season to chase a title with his head coach. 

Braylon Mullins, the freshman who stole the hearts of basketball fans when he sent Duke home in the Elite Eight on a 45-foot Hail Mary prayer, sat in his locker reflecting on the journey to Indianapolis.

The same affirmation could be said about the commitment of Malachi Smith, and his UConn teammates. Different paths. Same understanding. Getting there takes more than talent.

Because here’s the truth in today’s college basketball world: You can spend millions. You can stack a roster. You can win headlines in the offseason.

But you can’t buy what Michigan, or UConn, had.

"They got us to the national championship game," Hurley said of his Huskies. "I think one of the dumbest things I hear people say is, ‘Man, you’d be better off losing in the Sweet 16’ or the first round. I'll take how we went out. It was a soldier's death, and we all went out on our shield today."

So as the transfer portal spins over the next two weeks and programs across the country throw money at the next wave of talent, remember this:

We’ll find out in nine months who actually built a team, and who just built a roster.