The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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70 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 D usty May's group enjoyed the first 36 victories but wasn't satisfied. They assembled last summer with one goal in mind: winning the program's second national champi- onship, which was accomplished with a 69-63 victory over UConn April 6 in Indianapolis. The returning players set the culture, while the four transfers — graduate for- ward Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), junior center Aday Mara (UCLA), junior guard Elliot Cadeau (North Carolina) and soph- omore forward Morez Johnson Jr. (Illi- nois) — provided the sizzle and upside. There were no guarantees that it would work, especially because the Wolverines didn't have one of the highest-paid ros- ters in the sport, but May had a proven track record of making talented pieces fit together. Last summer and fall, for instance, the Wolverines were mocked by rival fans for attempting to play three players that were centers at their previous schools on the floor at the same time in Lendeborg, Mara and Johnson. There were questions as to how Cadeau would fit, considering North Carolina fans celebrated when the former five-star left after his sophomore campaign. Michigan, though, was the one laughing after beating every team in the Big Ten, going 19-1 in the conference and becoming the first team since 1976 Indiana to finish undefeated on the road in the league. "We all are better in certain situations than others," May said. "There's an en- vironment that's right for me. There's an environment that's right for you. Some- times you don't choose the right environ- ment from the beginning or sometimes as people we change and we need something different, for a number of reasons. "The way we choose to look at it, we're going to bring in really, really good guys that are high achievers, that want to do it the way we want to do it." It's hard to argue with the results. With 37 victories, the Wolverines are tied for the fourth most in a season in college basketball history. The three losses, to Wisconsin, Duke and Purdue, all taught valuable lessons and helped them cut down the nets on the final Monday of the season. May joins Steve Fisher as a national championship coach at Michigan. While no Wolverine head man has more victo- ries than John Beilein's 278, May has the best winning percentage by far at .831 (64-13), two years into his tenure. MICHIGAN TAKES A BOW, FOES TAKE A BACK SEAT Michigan isn't slowing down, either. The Wolverines have the fifth-best re- cruiting haul in the nation and the top class in the Big Ten in 2026. Plus, May is perhaps the sport's best maestro at plugging holes with transfers — even those that weren't stars at their previous schools — and helping them thrive in his environment. That hasn't gone unno- ticed by recruits, potential transfers and those around them, including agents. The Wolverines have won the Big Ten's first national championship since Michi- gan State in 2000. That was 26 years ago, before almost every college basketball player was born, even Spartans guard Trey Fort, a 25-year-old and one of four transfers on their roster. Michigan just played in its third na- tional title game in the last 13 years. In that same span, the Wolverines lead all Big Ten teams with 31 NCAA Tourna- ment wins, seven more than the next- highest program. The Maize and Blue are the best program in the Big Ten, with no end to their ability to compete at the highest level in sight as long as May is at the helm. The 49-year-old head coach, it's worth noting, is expected to sign a contract extension in the coming days or weeks. Some opponents may not know it yet, or even more probable, aren't willing to admit it, but Michigan was a cut above this season and is primed for more suc- cess in the future. "I ain't taking a back seat to nobody," a scrambling MSU head coach Tom Izzo said after another double-digit loss to Michigan in March. Michigan is one of the top programs in the sport — not just the Big Ten — with at least one Final Four appearance in six of the last seven decades and nine overall. Capturing its second national champi- onship puts U-M on an even more elite plane, becoming one of 16 schools with multiple titles. A former student manager under Bob Knight at Indiana, May worked his way up the ranks, serving as a low-level staffer at USC and for the Hoosiers, be- fore taking assistant coaching jobs at Eastern Michigan, Murray State, UAB, Louisiana Tech and Florida. He was hired at Florida Atlantic in 2018 — which was considered one of the worst head jobs in college basketball — and took the Owls to the Final Four. His quick turn- around in Ann Arbor, following an 8-24 campaign under Juwan Howard in 2023- 24, is arguably even more impressive. "Happy to carry the flag for all the managers, the GAs, the grunts because it's possible. It's tough, but it's possible," May told CBS Sports, reflecting on his background. The Wolverines finished the race, while the rest of the league was watch- ing from the back seat. Foes might as well get used to it, too: Michigan is on top and just might (May?) stay there. ❏ SAYFIE BLITZ ❱ CLAYTON SAYFIE Michigan On Top: Get Used To It May on his approach to bringing players into his program: "We're going to bring in really, really good guys that are high achievers, that want to do it the way we want to do it." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Staff writer Clayton Sayfie has covered Michigan athletics for The Wolverine since 2019. Contact him at Clayton.Sayfie @on3.com and follow him on X (Twitter) @CSayf23.