Michigan’s title parade

Michigan turned its national title into a campus-wide celebration Saturday, with thousands lining an Ann Arbor parade route before a packed arena ceremony. (fox2detroit.com) The parade started near South University and passed the President’s House before ending at Yost Ice Arena, where players, coaches and athletic director Warde Manuel rode in pickup trucks, tossed souvenirs and popped confetti. (clickondetroit.com) Inside Crisler Center, Michigan raised three banners: a Big Ten Conference championship banner, a Final Four banner and a national championship banner beside the program’s 1989 title banner. (umhoops.com) Manuel used the celebration to announce that head coach Dusty May had agreed to a contract extension after winning the title in his second season. (on3.com) The ceremony came five days after Michigan beat Connecticut 69-63 in the NCAA men’s championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Michigan finished 37-3, and Elliot Cadeau scored 19 points in the title game. (ncaa.com) That win gave Michigan its second national championship and its first since 1989, while ending the Big Ten’s men’s title drought since Michigan State won in 2000. (cbsnews.com) May arrived from Florida Atlantic on a five-year deal worth an average of $3.75 million per year, and the extension locks in the coach who rebuilt Michigan with a transfer-heavy roster. (sports.yahoo.com) By Saturday afternoon, the campus party had turned into a public marker of how quickly the program changed: one week earlier Michigan was still chasing a title, and by the weekend its newest banner was in the rafters. (aol.com)