Dusty May challenges Michigan basketball to treat December as championship time

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines basketball head coach Dusty May believes December is a critical time for teams, when the most upsets occur.

“I don’t have the math behind it, but it seems like this is when the most upsets happen because the high major guys are usually looking forward to something other than the game,” May said.

May challenged his team to treat this period not as a time to coast but as an important part of the championship journey.

“Championships are won on Dec. 15, 16, and 17. They’re not really one March, whatever 20th or whatever the day is of the Big Ten tournament championship, or when you clench a Big Ten regular season championship. It’s one throughout that process,” May said.

The Wolverines are coming off a tight victory as they took down the Maryland Terrapins 101-83 on the road inside the Xfinity Center on Saturday (Dec. 13).

With the victory, the No. 2-ranked Wolverines improved to 10-0 on the season, but the final score doesn’t tell the full story as Michigan trailed 50-45 at halftime.

The men in maize outscored the Terrapins 56-33 in the second half behind stellar play by Yaxel Lendeborg, who put on a show in front of his mother, who was in attendance, as he dropped a season high 29 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds while shooting 8-11 from the field in the victory.

The undefeated start through the first 10 games of the season is the sixth time the basketball program has achieved such success.

They’ve joined the 2020-2021 (11-0), 2018-2019 (17-0), 2012-2013 (16-0), 1988-1989 (11-0), and the 1985-1986 (16-0) teams.

May described this week as “just another quiz” for the team to handle with maturity and focus, especially against a well-coached opponent and close friend.

Line-up change

Regarding the team’s rotation and lineup, May said they found a combination that clicked well in their last game, particularly with Slam Magazine’s “SlamU 15” cover athletes Lendeborg and Elliot Cadeau.

→ Michigan basketball stars Yaxel Lendeborg, Elliot Cadeau land SlamU cover ahead of Maryland matchup

“We’re getting closer. It’s more about settling into the rotation, yes, but finding good offense and good defense with whatever lineup is out there,” May said.

May emphasized the importance of teamwork on both ends of the floor.

“That’s a sign of a good team when five guys can look at each other in a circle and figure out how do we create advantages on offense together. And then how do we get the things that are giving us problems stopped on the other end together as a group,” May said.

Turnovers

On turnovers, May noted the team has been winning the turnover battle lately by focusing on possession over position.

“We’re focused more on simply getting possession over position. Sometimes we’d throw a pass, and if it wasn’t going to lead to the layup, we would almost like try to catch it and score instead of just getting possession of the ball, and then even if we have to reset, that’s fine,” May said.

May also credited better spacing and a balanced pace of play for his team.

“This is the first time that I felt like we’re playing really fast, but we were playing slow, and I think that’s a sign of a really competent and potent offensive team,” May said.

Elliot Cadeau

Regarding Cadeau’s unique court vision and creativity, May called him “special” and highlighted his growing chemistry with teammates.

“He’s just learning his teammates better. That’s probably the most underrated part of all this,” May said.

May noted that the team plays a different system than Elliott’s previous teams, which requires adjustment.

Officials

He addressed officials’ points of emphasis this season, including managing demonstrative behavior toward the bench.

“We warned our guys, they said, ‘If you say something to the bench, they’re going to get us back. It’s just the way it is,’” May said.

May also discussed how reputations affect calls, citing players like Will Tschetter and Maryland’s Solomon Washington, who were ejected for taunting after receiving two technicals, both known for physical play.

Coaching style

On his coaching style and NBA aspirations, May said he doesn’t focus on pro ambitions but rather on winning and improving week to week.

“This is all too big of a dream. I don’t think about where I could be coaching in the future. I just want to win on Sunday and get better this week,” May said.

May praised Lendeborg’s confidence shooting threes but emphasized taking what the defense gives.

“They’re worth three points, and so if he moves a step in, they’re worth two. We want to take what the game gives him,” May said.

May highlighted the team’s unselfishness, noting Cadeau’s willingness to take fewer shots for the good of the team.

Off the court challenges

May addressed the difficult challenges the team faces off the court, including recent events impacting the athletic department surrounding former Michigan football head coach Sherrone Moore and players.

“I thought you were going to ask about the school shootings (Brown University),” May said. “When you put things in perspective, we’re coaching a child’s game every day. There’s some real-life stuff happening across our planet.”

May acknowledged the complexity of the issues and the human impact involved, as many poor decisions were being made across the board.

“Everyone involved is a human being, and every decision impacts other human beings. I pray for families that are impacted and their children,” May said.

May admitted he does not have solutions to many of the world’s problems, but emphasized the importance of striving to be better people.

“If we just all tried to be better human beings and better world civilians, I think we’d all have a much greater impact,” May said.

Regarding the team’s response, May confirmed they have had open and honest conversations about these issues.

“The shootings impacted one of our players, and he was shook up. I felt bad that we were so focused on beating Maryland because it’s such a tough thing whenever that happens,” May said.

May noted that while such incidents may seem more frequent due to media coverage, they have always occurred.

“As parents, we’re trying to help develop independent thinkers who look at all issues from not only their own set of glasses but also the glasses from everyone else around,” May said.

May emphasized the importance of team unity and support.

“We have very open, honest, transparent conversations in our locker room. When you have a group that loves each other and a staff that loves our players as much as we do, we want them to always be thinking short term and long term,” May said.

Most of these conversations, May said, are kept within the locker room to maintain trust and privacy.

Tough road games

May reflected on the team’s recent tough games against TCU and Maryland, highlighting what gives him confidence for future challenges.

“Well, first, they presented so many different challenges, and I think a road map of how to navigate those same types of offenses or defenses we’re going to see,” May said.

May emphasized the team’s mental toughness in close games.

“When you get into those tight games, certain guys can elevate their play, and then certain guys can play tighter or more conservative,” May said.

May praised the group’s unshakable confidence and fearlessness.

“What I’ve seen is a group that is unflappable. They’re confident. They’re unafraid of failure,” May said.

May noted the team’s focus on playing to win rather than fearing loss or criticism.

“They keep their pedal to the metal and keep attacking and keep playing to win as a play as opposed to playing with the fear of maybe we lose this, and maybe we lose that game, and what are people going to say, and all the stuff that doesn’t really matter,” May said.

May called this mindset encouraging for the team’s future.

“That’s encouraging going forward that we didn’t look like we’re afraid to fail,” May added.

Coaching young players vs. vets

May discussed the difference between getting young players like Trey McKenney to buy into the team’s unselfish culture and getting established players like Yaks to do so.

“Number one, we recruit unselfish guys. We try to bring in the right people in the locker room that winning is important, development’s important, and they’re not always their happiness,” May said.

May emphasized that players’ moods shouldn’t be dictated by individual game performances.

“It’s not the end of the world when you play poorly, and it’s not the greatest day ever when you have a good shooting night. It’s just we stay the course,” May said.

May noted that it’s easier when everyone in the locker room shares this mindset.

“When you choose not to, and your behavior shows something different, then you stand out like a sore thumb,” he said.

He added that breaking the team’s chain of unselfishness makes a player look extremely selfish because the group plays for each other.

May praised L.J. Cason for his engagement despite limited playing time.

“I thought L.J. Cason played maybe his best game as a Wolverine, and I don’t know how many minutes he played, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I was kind of peeking out my side of my eye to watch him on the bench, and he was engaged. He was into it,” May said.

May acknowledged the challenges of competing for championships and playing meaningful games.

“You can always go down and play for a bad team. You can transfer down a level, whatever the case, and you can get more shots, and you can get more touches, and your usage can be higher,” May said.

May encouraged players to weigh what’s truly important for their future.

“Life after basketball is important. If you stay the course at a place like this, usually life can be a lot better for you after because of the education you’re receiving. Not just degree, but the education and the people you’re surrounded with here,” May said.

Finding the perfect fit

Finally, May discussed the rarity of finding a perfect fit like Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara, crediting shared sacrifice and honest recruiting.

“It’s just hard to break that chain when everyone’s doing it,” May said.

May emphasized transparency with recruits about expectations and the importance of the whole support system.

“It’s not just us, and it’s not just them. It’s the whole nest,” May said.

Michigan’s next game will be played inside Crisler Center on Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, when they’ll play host to the La Salle Explorers.