Dusty May believes Michigan basketball can be 'even more unique' in 2025-26

The 2024-25 version of Michigan basketball was unique in the sense it had two 7-footers opposing teams had to deal with in Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, with Wolf being able to work in the pick and roll while being able to create and make shots, while Goldin provided a forceful presence at the rim.

Even though those two have moved on in their basketball careers and are no longer in the Maize and Blue, head coach Dusty May told reporters during a press conference on Sunday that he believes the Wolverines have the capability of being "even more unique" this upcoming season with the roster they have constructed.

"I think we can be even more unique," May said. "There will be times where we roll out a really, really big lineup like we did in the Big Ten tournament. When we were really struggling against Wisconsin, we played Will Tschetter at the 3 with Danny and Vlad in the Big Ten tournament at some real pivotal times and he banged in big shots, we rebounded the ball well, because Danny and Will were able to defend smaller guards on the perimeter and stay in front of the ball and allowed us to play like that. Offensively, I think when you have talented players, you can figure out a way to be efficient enough to win and it usually comes down to 'can those bigger guys guard smaller, quicker players and can you keep the ball out of the paint and still contest on the perimeter? "So, I think there will times where we roll out a really rare, big lineup. And there's going to be other times where we play small and quick and have one of our skilled guys at the five so we can be explosive offensively. There will be times where we need to score quickly, so we'll downsize and play the faster, smaller lineup. I do think we have a group that—we're going to have to figure out who plays the best with who, and try to align those minutes. And that's what we have to do these next three or four weeks—really figure out who connects with who and which guys don't need the ball with 'this' group and they're more aggressive with 'that' group. That self-awareness will ultimately decide whether we're going to be good or not."

Michigan's unique style of play played a big part in the Wolverines advancing to the Sweet 16 and winning the Big Ten tournament in May's first year at the helm. This season, the Wolverines have both experience and depth at many key positions.

At point guard, Elliot Cadeau comes to Ann Arbor from North Carolina with LJ Cason to back him up.; At the 2, Nimari Burnett is back for another season as a graduate student.; Senior Roddy Gale Jr. will handle the small forward spot after turning it on toward the end of last season; At the 4, Yaxel Lendeborg comes in from USF as one of the top transfers in all of college basketball, with Tschetter to back him up; At center, Morez Johnson, a transfer from Illinois, will be an athletic presence at the rim and will have UCLA 7-foot transfer Aday Mara to help out.

Between Michigan's versatility and depth on this year's roster, it's easy to see why May is excited heading into the season, which is beginning to approach quickly.