Why Dusty May thinks Las Vegas trip could prepare Michigan to win Big Ten Tournament

The No. 7 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team will be heading to Las Vegas for the 2025 Players Era Championship to face San Diego State on Monday (Nov. 24), then No. 22 Auburn the following night in an NCAA Tournament rematch from last season. From there, Dusty May's team will see who they play next as records will determine further matchups from that point.

Overall, 18 teams are participating in the second Players Era Festival, which saw Oregon win the inaugural event last season. The Big Ten teams taking part this year include the Ducks, U-M, Maryland and Rutgers.

On Wednesday, following Michigan's 86-61 victory over Middle Tennessee to improve the Wolverines' record to 4-0 on the season, May discussed what he believes his team will gain from the games in Vegas.

"I hope for some Vitamin D, I hope we stay healthy, and I hope these three games in three days show us what we need to do to, continue to do or do better, to win the Big Ten Tournament," May said. "I know some coaches and programs don't value as much an 18-team tournament—this year 18, last year 14, against three really good teams winning three games in three days. A lot of time, it's (like having) three-straight Sweet 16 wins."

"We want to win the Big Ten Tournament again, we want to be in a position to compete for it—so three games in three games (in Vegas) give us an opportunity to prepare like that, to take care of our bodies and prioritize the next game immediately after the buzzer sounds after game one and game two. And then we've got to be able to learn on the fly, where we don't have time to practice in between. We go straight from a game, film session, walk-through then be able to apply things."

"That's the secret sauce of elite teams. So, hopefully well see us doing that on the fly. But nonetheless, we are 100% a growth mindset program. We need to be better next week than we are today. we need to continue to learn more about our team, and whether we win or whether we lose, we're not going to be too high or too low, because our season is long and we have a high, high ceiling."

Nov 19, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May reacts in the first half against the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Last season, Michigan defeated Wisconsin in the title game to win the conference tournament title in May's first season with the program. Using next week's games to prepare the Wolverines both physically and mentally for the Big Ten Tournament down the road seems like a wise idea overall.

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