With returning second-year coach Dusty May and big-name transfers, Michigan basketball enters a highly anticipated season. May has excited many fans in his first year at Michigan, and fans and analysts believe he is building something special at the university.
“I have pretty high expectations for the season,” Second Take Sports Podcast host Marco Rogers (‘26) says. “There are a couple tough games in non-conference, teams like Auburn, San Diego State, which may pose a problem, but should be able to do pretty well on that and in the BIG 10.”
Dusty May’s arrival brought almost a completely new roster, as well as a new style and culture.
“I definitely think there was a culture shift for the team,” says Greg Lee (‘26). “There seems to be a lot more team chemistry on the court.”
Last season, May led the Wolverines to a Big Ten tournament championship win, beating Wisconsin in the final, earning the Wolverines a #5 seed in the March Madness tournament. The Wolverines beat UC San Diego and Texas A&M, but eventually fell to the #1 overall seed, Auburn, in the Sweet Sixteen.
After the season, the Wolverines had both of their top 2 scorers leave for the NBA in Vladislav Goldin and Danny Wolf, and their Point Guard, Tre Donaldson, entered the transfer portal. With these gaps created in the roster, May looked to the transfer portal and recruiting trail to fill them. May landed the top 2025 recruit out of Michigan in five-star Trey McKenney, as well as four highly rated transfers.
“Our team is built on these transfers,” says avid fan Max Pinaud (‘26). “When you look at our starting lineup, you see Yaxel Lendenborg, you see Aday Mara, or maybe Morez Johnson.”
The transfers coming in this year, such as Elliot Cadeau, Lendenborg, Mara, and Johnson, are projected to play a significant role in the production. The increasing popularity of the transfer portal is largely credited to the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) movement. NIL means college athletes can get paid for things like being in ads, social media, or for their picture and name being used. Before 2021, student-athletes could not profit from any of that.
“I think NIL is impacting college basketball a ton,” Pinaud says. “I do not think Yaxel Lendenborg would have ended up at Michigan if it weren’t for NIL. I think NIL has created a huge change, and I think it’s benefiting the Wolverines.”
With Dusty May’s leadership and the impact of the transfer portal, Michigan fans are hyped for the season, believing they will be able to make a real run in the tournament in March, building and improving on their Sweet Sixteen run from last year.
