Rick Barnes Gives Strong Opinion on Michigan Head Coach Dusty May

Sunday's Elite 8 matchup between the Michigan Wolverines and Tennessee Volunteers will feature a couple of decorated head coaches who have found major success in Division I college basketball.

Tennessee's Rick Barnes, 71, has been at it for much longer than May, having started off in Division I as a head coach at George Mason in 1987-88 and is now closing in on four decades as a head coach in college basketball, having compiled an 861-434 record for his career with 30 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Mar 22, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Tennessee Volunteers head coach Rick Barnes reacts in the first half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

Michigan's Dusty May, 49, got his break in 2018-19 when he took over the Florida Atlantic program and took the Falcons to a Final Four and two NCAA Tournament appearances before landing the Michigan job in 2024-25, having led the Wolverines to a 61-13 record in two seasons at the helm up to this point.

On Saturday ahead of the game between the two teams, Barnes was asked about Michigan and what May has been able to do with the Wolverines in a short period of time.

Barnes on Dusty May and Michigan

"He's a terrific basketball coach," Barnes said about May. "The times I've been with him, I really do love him as a human being. He knows what he's doing, obviously. "Dusty did a great job [at FAU], and then he gets one of the great jobs in the country. He believes in what he believes in. You watch his teams play, and you understand what's important to him. It's a winning formula, and he stays with it. Like all of us have to, you have to adapt to the NIL. Great respect for him."

Michigan head coach Dusty May shakes hands with fans to celebrate 90-77 win over Alabama at the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 round at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 27, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barnes added there are multiple aspects that impresses him about this Michigan team that the Volunteers need to prepare for ahead of the matchup.

"Beating teams by 40, 50 points, that doesn't happen in today's world. But every spot, they've got guys that— their depth, everything about them," said Barnes. "They're well-coached, so sound fundamentally and explosive. Their size, defensively, is a factor. They just impact the game on both ends of the court. When you win the games they've won, there's obviously a buy-in there with each one of them on their team — and I just have the utmost respect for them."

For someone as experienced and as successful as Barnes has been in his career, him uttering those words about the Wolverines signal a high level of respect for how Michigan is operating.

The two teams will tip off at 2:15 p.m. EST on Sunday on CBS for an opportunity to go to the Final Four.