In the modern era of college sports, building a champion requires a new blueprint. This January, Curt Cignetti authored the football version, transforming Indiana's program into a national powerhouse in just two years. His masterstroke? Aggressively leveraging the transfer portal to construct a historically dominant roster, headlined by a future #1 NFL draft pick.

On Monday night, Dusty May completed the basketball parallel. In a stunning two-year rebuild at Michigan, he utilized the exact same modern tools to craft a championship team. By assembling a veteran-laden squad through the portal, including potential NBA lottery pick Yaxel Lendeborg, May's Wolverines cut down the nets for the first time since 1989, even overcoming their worst offensive night to topple UConn.

This victory underscores a seismic shift in how titles are won. While some blue-blood programs still prioritize freshman phenoms, May took a different path. He built a starting lineup with an average age near 22, anchored by seasoned transfers like Lendeborg (UAB), tournament MOP Elliot Cadeau (UNC), and key pieces from Illinois and UCLA. This depth of experience was so profound that a top high school recruit found himself in a reserve role.

The result is the most extreme example to date of the portal era's potential. Just as Cignetti flipped a 3-9 football team into a champion, May turned an 8-24 basketball program into the last team standing. Their shared success story is a clear lesson for the future: in today's game, strategic roster construction through player movement, combined with sharp coaching, is the fastest route to a title. Until the rules change, this is the new model for championship contention.