Meet The Opponent: Dusty May Has Made No. 24 Michigan An Immediate Big Ten Contender

No. 24 Michigan comes to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 1 p.m. ET Saturday.

Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May reacts during the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Jersey Mike's Arena. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With a month left in the Big Ten season, Michigan’s men’s basketball team is just a half-game out of first place in the Big Ten race. The 24th-ranked Wolverines are tied with Michigan State for second place as both trail Purdue.

Michigan being back among the Big Ten contenders is a credit to Dusty May – its first-year coach who came to Ann Arbor from Florida Atlantic.

Of course, most Indiana fans need no introduction to May. He was a student manager at Indiana from 1996-2000. His success has made him a hot name as far as who Indiana’s next head coach might be – whether that’s a decision made sooner or later.

May’s success is twofold. He revived Michigan’s fortunes after winning ways rapidly disappeared in the last years of Juwan Howard’s regime. He also has been able to successfully implement his own style of play.

It’s easy to lose sight of how far Michigan fell in 2024. Michigan’s nine Big Ten wins already triples their total of three conference victories in 2024. Michigan’s .773 winning percentage would be its best record since 2021 if it holds up.

May’s team plays modern basketball – there are plenty of threes to go around – but he hasn’t completely left big players behind. In fact, Vlad Goldin (7-foot-1) and Danny Wolf (7-0) are the biggest starting tandem in the Big Ten. Forward Sam Walters (6-10) also plays regularly. All of them can stretch the floor and make threes, creating a defensive matchup problem for opponents.

There’s a lot to like about this Michigan team – and a lot for struggling Indiana to worry about as the Wolverines come to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday.

Here's a further breakdown of the Michigan Wolverines.

Key players

• F Vladislav Goldin: 15.6 ppg, 6 rpg.
• G Tre Donaldson: 12.7 ppg, 4.4 apg, 3.5 rpg.
• F Danny Wolf: 12.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 3.6 apg.
• G Roddy Gayle: 11.1 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 3 apg.
• G Nimari Burnett: 10.5 ppg, 3.6 rpg.
• F Will Tschetter: 7 ppg, 2.4 rpg.
• F Sam Walters: 5.1 ppg.
• G L.J. Cason: 4.3 ppg.
• G Rubin Jones: 3.3 ppg.

2024-25 Schedule (17-5, 9-2)

• W, 101-53, Cleveland State, Nov. 4
• L, 72-70, Wake Forest, Nov. 10 – Greensboro, N.C.
• W, 76-64, TCU, Nov. 15
• W, 94-67, Miami of Ohio, Nov. 18.
• W, 72-49, Tarleton State, Nov. 21.
• W, 75-63, Virginia Tech, Nov. 25 – Fort Myers Tip-Off.
• W, 78-53, Xavier, Nov. 27 – Fort Myers Tip-Off.
• W, 67-64, Wisconsin, Dec. 3.
• W, 85-83, Iowa, Dec. 7.
• L, 89-87, Arkansas, Dec. 10 – New York City.
• L, 87-86, Oklahoma, Dec. 18 – Charlotte, N.C.
• W, 89-58, Purdue Fort Wayne, Dec. 22
• W, 112-64, Western Kentucky, Dec. 29.
• W, 85-74, at USC, Jan. 4.
• W, 94-75, at UCLA, Jan. 7.
• W, 91-75, Washington, Jan. 12.
• L, 84-81, OT, at Minnesota, Jan. 16.
• W, 80-76, OT, Northwestern, Jan. 19.
• L, 91-64, at Purdue, Jan. 24.
• W, 76-72, Penn State, Jan. 27.
• W, 66-63, at Rutgers, Feb. 1.
• W, 80-76, Oregon, Feb. 5.

Series history

• Indiana leads 111-65. Indiana has won four in a row in the series dating to 2022.

Head coach: Dusty May

Dusty May is 17-5 in his first season at Michigan. May coached Florida Atlantic from 2018-24 and compiled a 126-69 record with the Owls, including a run to the 2023 Final Four. Overall, May is 143-74 in seven seasons as a head coach.

May grew up in Greene County, Ind., which is adjacent to Monroe County – home of Bloomington and Indiana University. May was a student manager at Indiana from 1996-2000.

May was an assistant coach at Eastern Michigan (2005-06), Murray State (2006-07), UAB (2007-09), Louisiana Tech (2009-15) and Florida (2015-18).

Strengths

In Big Ten games, Michigan ranks fifth in scoring (79 ppg) and second in assists (17.6 apg). Obviously, not a coincidence.

Goldin and Wolf are (literally) the big reasons why. Both can do what traditional bigs do. Goldin makes 66.3% of his 2-point shots, Wolf makes 58.8% of his against Big Ten opponents.

However, both can also make 3-point shots. Wolf attempts three 3-point shots per Big Ten game and makes 36.9%. Goldin doesn’t take as many, but makes 50% of the ones he does. Goldin leads the Big Ten in effective field goal percentage (a stat that gives added weight to a 3-point make) at 67.1% in conference games.

Spreading the floor is more than just about 3-point shots, however. Wolf functions as a point forward. In Big Ten games, he is second to Tre Donaldson at 3.6 assists per contest.

Six Michigan players average at least an assist per game in Big Ten games, led by Donaldson’s 4.4 assists. Nimari Burnett (43.4% Big Ten games) and Donaldson (42.2% Big Ten games) are both 3-point threats and Roddy Gayle (11.1 ppg in Big Ten play) is an all-around scoring threat.

Michigan’s style also travels well. The Wolverines have won four Big Ten road games, tied with Michigan State and second only to Purdue in league play.

Weaknesses

Michigan turns the ball over more than any other team in the Big Ten. The Wolverines average 14.1 turnovers in conference play. That’s 1.6 turnovers per game more than second-worst Washington.

Wolf may distribute the ball, but he also gives it up. His assist-to-turnover ratio is 3.6-3.5 in Big Ten games.

While the Wolverines have had some impressive wins, they also have the occasional off-night. Michigan is the only Big Ten contender to lose to Minnesota, for example. There are losses to unranked Wake Forest, Arkansas and Oklahoma – none of them bad teams, but proof that the Wolverines can slip at times.

Season and game outlook

Michigan is fighting for the Big Ten title so every game is obviously vital. Michigan’s schedule down the stretch is not easy. The Wolverines still face Michigan State twice and Purdue once at the top of the Big Ten race. Michigan also has home games left against lllinois and Maryland and road games at Ohio State and Nebraska. Michigan will be counting on a win against a struggling Indiana team to stay in contention.

It will be a game rife with distraction for May as well. Many Indiana fans have expressed their hope that May could come back to Indiana as head coach. With the Hoosiers struggling, this feeling has only been amplified. It’s a distraction for May, to be certain. It will be interesting to see how he confines the noise to himself and shields the players.

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