Dusty May Challenges Michigan Bench After L. J. Cason Injury Ahead of NCAA Tournament

The Wolverines are coming off of a disappointing finish to the Big Ten Tournament. After winning the regular season by four games, Michigan took one on the chin against Purdue in the tournament finale on Sunday. The Maize and Blue had few answers to Purdue's offense and the Wolverines' bench production wasn't as strong in the game.

It was Michigan's first loss without guard L.J. Cason, who tore his ACL in a win over Illinois late in the regular season. The Wolverines won four games in a row before suffering their first loss without the sophomore.

On Sunday, after the bracket reveal, Dusty May was on The Field of 68 podcast, where he spoke about not having Cason and the impact it has on his bench.

"Obviously, L.J. was very important to our team for a number of reasons," May said. "Very few teams can bring a guy off the bench that you don't miss a beat, regardless of who he goes in for. He has a unique skill set. He has the ability to get anywhere he needs to at the ball and break down the defense, so you don't have to play as segmented. And then defensively, he's able to get into the ball, affect the game on both sides.

"Our second unit, they haven't been as good since he's went out. So this is an opportunity for them to pick up the slack. We've just got to get back to playing good ball. I don't think it's one thing."

Onto the NCAA Tournament

Despite the ending, Michigan still had just three losses all season. The Wolverines earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and Michigan will get the winner of UMBC vs. Howard in the first round.

While the Wolverines are on a one-game losing streak, May said it's time to turn the page and get to scouting both of their possible opponents. Assuming Michigan gets past Round 1, the Wolverines will get to better know two teams they are somewhat familiar with for the Round of 32.

Georgia Bulldogs head coach Mike White against the South Carolina Gamecocks — Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

"I think sometimes the fear of a failure or the risk of being upset might cloud your thought process, and that can't be a part of it," said May. "We've got to focus on playing good basketball. We've got to get by either Howard or UMBC, and then we're going to play a really good team in either Georgia from the SEC or a Saint Louis team that's played high-level basketball the entire season.

"Fortunately, we've seen both of those teams play as our staff are good friends with both of those. Mike Whit is one of the closest friends of the business and mentor, and Coach Schertz and I have developed a really close friendship over the last five to eight years and couldn't respect both of those guys more. I'm going to enjoy watching them compete, and hopefully we'll have a chance to go against whoever comes out on top."