The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1537777
AUGUST 2025 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 31 2024-25 YEAR IN REVIEW MOST IMPROVED TEAMS OF THE YEAR MALE SPORT MOST IMPROVED TEAM OF THE YEAR MEN'S BASKETBALL Expectations weren't high to begin with but grew and grew as head coach Dusty May assembled his roster ahead of his first sea- son at the helm, following the Wolverines' 8-24 campaign that got Juwan Howard fired. The roster building with a limited budget was spectacular, with Michigan landing six transfers and adding three freshmen, but the Wolverines' competitiveness in-season was just as impressive. Michigan finished with a 27-10 overall re- cord, standing tied for second in the Big Ten at 14-6, won the Big Ten Tournament and earned the No. 10 spot in the final Associated Press poll following a Sweet 16 berth. That all came one season after the Maize and Blue won just 8 total and 3 Big Ten games. Going from 8 to 27 victories, a 19-win differen- tial, marked the greatest one-year turnaround in both program and Big Ten history. There have been only three other instances of Michigan notching 10-plus more wins than the previous season — 1918-19 (+12), 1991-92 (+11) and 2008-09 (+11). Michigan has been one of the nation's top- performing teams in the NCAA Tournament over the last 15 years, and May kept that go- ing in his first season. The Wolverines earned a No. 5 seed and beat No. 12 UC San Diego (68-65) and No. 4 Texas A&M (91-79) in Den- ver, before falling to Auburn (78-65) in the Sweet 16 in Atlanta. U-M has now made the second weekend of the Big Dance in its last six appearances. First-year head coach Dusty May led the men's basketball team to a remarkable turnaround, going from 8-24 and last in the conference a year ago to 27-10, Big Ten Tournament champions and a berth in the NCAA Sweet 16. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL FEMALE SPORT MOST IMPROVED TEAM OF THE YEAR FIELD HOCKEY Michigan posted a 9-8 record in 2023, with its .529 winning percent- age standing as the program's lowest since going 7-14 (.333) in 2009. But the Wolverines bounced back in 2024, going 15-5 overall, 5-3 in the Big Ten and winning the conference tournament for the third time in five years. Michigan's 15 wins marked its most since 2021. The Wolverines improved throughout the year, too. Their three wins in the Big Ten Tournament were all against teams that beat them in the regular season — Indiana, Maryland and top-ranked Northwestern. Michigan's offense was productive, scoring 67 goals on the season, its most since 2017. The Wolverines earned shutouts in nine of their last 16 games and ranked 10th nationally with a 1.08 goals-against average. Michigan field hockey went from 9-8 in 2023 to 15-5 in 2024 and won the Big Ten Tournament title for the third time in five years. Its 15 wins was the program's most since 2021. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY