The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
2025-26 YEAR IN REVIEW MALE SPORT MOST IMPROVED TEAM OF THE YEAR BASKETBALL Michigan had a tremendous season in 2024-25, head coach Dusty May's first year on the job, but it wasn't quite a national title contender. The Wolver- ines finished tied for second in the Big Ten, won the conference tourna- ment and reached the Sweet 16, but were dominated in the second half by Auburn, which made the Final Four, showing how far they were from competing at the highest level of the sport. At that point, it looked like the Wolverines would be perenni- ally competitive under May. Nobody knew they'd be as flat-out dominant as they were in 2025-26, though. Michigan replaced key pieces with transfer and freshman additions, also retaining the bulk of its core. The Wolverines took a huge step forward this past season, going 37-3 and win- ning the Big Ten and national cham- pionships. Michigan men's basketball players, from left, Elliot Cadeau, Roddy Gayle Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson Jr., link arms during the Wolverines' win over Michigan State in March. En route to the program's second national championship, Michigan became the first team to score at least 90 points in five games in a single NCAA Tournament and held its last four opponents to season-lows in field goal percentage. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL 40 THE WOLVERINE ❱ AUGUST 2026