5 months ago
- Wolverines
- Published: Dec. 29, 2025, 11:07 p.m.
ANN ARBOR — These Wolverines person been a coach’s dream because they play to a standard, not nan force aliases nan scoreboard.
That modular has been group exceptionally high. Michigan (12-0) keeps gathering it, 40 minutes astatine a time.
The latest illustration was Monday’s 112-71 drubbing of McNeese astatine Crisler Center. The Wolverines led 7-0 successful a blink; they pushed their lead to 15 7 minutes in; 15 turned to 20 turned to 31 astatine half; 16 unanswered retired of halftime made it laughable.
“I deliberation our guys’ committedness to defending and rebounding is why we’ve been capable to abstracted and make nan spurts that we have,” Michigan coach Dusty May said.
“We talk astir not getting complacent each day,” starting guardant Morez Johnson Jr. said. “I deliberation we do a bully occupation of holding each different accountable, not letting each different get complacent and keeping that hunger.”
This isn’t normal. Most teams can’t build 30-point leads against value competition, arsenic Michigan has done consistently this season. Maintaining aliases extending those leads is moreover harder; it’s earthy to fto up.
Talent, extent and determination person allowed Michigan to subordinate nan inclination successful nan champion way. Trey McKenney, L.J. Cason, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter, tin starters for bully Big Ten teams, travel disconnected nan bench. It’s why nan Wolverines opportunity practices are overmuch harder than games.
Happy caller year
It will beryllium a very happy caller twelvemonth for nan Wolverines and May, who celebrates his 49th day Tuesday. (He was speedy to 2 different group who suggested, instantly aft nan game, that he’d beryllium turning 50.)
Exactly half of nan Wolverines’ 12 wins person been by slightest 40 points. They’ve cracked 100 points successful six of their past 7 games. Perhaps you, Michigan fan, were panicking aft a one-point overtime triumph complete Wake Forest followed by a four-point triumph astatine TCU connected Nov. 14. Outside of that, Michigan hasn’t played a crippled that was competitory successful nan last 5 minutes. Most were fundamentally complete by halftime.
Michigan has been historically ascendant — comparative to programme history, nan Big Ten, and successful immoderate cases nationally. Michigan is 2nd successful nan AP Poll down Arizona but No. 1 everyplace else: nan Coaches Poll, nan NCAA’s NET rankings, etc. No squad is winning by more, and nan title has been stiff.
“We tin travel astatine you successful waves‚” May said. “There’s not overmuch driblet disconnected pinch immoderate rotation.”
McNeese has been to nan NCAA Tournament nan past 2 years, yet nan Cowboys didn’t person nan horses to bent pinch Michigan. Gonzaga, Auburn, Villanova, San Diego State and Maryland are among nan teams that tin relate.
Big Ten time
With Monday’s win, Michigan turns its attraction to nan Big Ten. The Wolverines are already 2-0 acknowledgment to wins complete Rutgers (home) and Maryland (road). They big No. 24 USC connected Friday and sojourn Penn State nan pursuing Tuesday.
“All signs constituent towards america being a really mature group that we’re not going to return anyone lightly, we’re not going to make definite games bigger than they request to be,” May said. “The target’s going to beryllium moreover bigger connected our back. Our target’s going to beryllium akin to what immoderate of nan much caller accepted programs person connected a nightly basis. So it’s going to beryllium a awesome challenge. But I judge our guys are up for nan challenge.”
Johnson, a sophomore who spent his freshman play astatine Illinois, can’t hold for convention play. “I’m very excited,” he said. “I’m gladsome we’re done pinch week-long breaks and get to play hoops two, 3 times a week.”
Returners for illustration Gayle, Tschetter, Cason and Nimari Burnett, positive Johnson and Aday Mara (a UCLA transfer), cognize nan Big Ten grind well.
Michigan intelligibly has what it takes to compete for a convention title. And if nan convention someway doesn’t supply capable of a challenge, Michigan still has a marquee nonconference crippled connected nan schedule: Duke, successful Washington D.C., connected Feb 21.
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Andrew Kahn covers University of Michigan athletics for MLive. His superior thumps are Michigan football, men's hoops and women's basketball. He joined MLive successful 2017 aft antecedently freelancing for The Wall...
