ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 3-ranked Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May talks postgame about overcoming his team’s slow start against the Minnesota Golden Gophers to secure a share of the Big Ten regular season championship following their 77-67 victory.
Michigan (26-2, 16-1 Big Ten) secured its win over Minnesota Tuesday (Feb. 24) night, and, according to May’s postgame remarks, he praised Minnesota’s defense and said the game reinforced the need for Michigan to be able to win in different ways.
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“I thought Minnesota did a really nice job of controlling tempo, and this is two consecutive games where teams have tried to control the possession game against us and play really low in volume, and it’s something we’re not used to, but, going forward, we’ll see it again in the next couple of games,” said May.
May said the Wolverines must be equipped to win “in any way, shape or form,” adding that the matchup was useful preparation for future opponents who might try to limit possessions.
“And so this helps us long term with us being the best team we can be on any given night,” May said.
May praised Minnesota’s coaching and preparation, pointing to their small, tight rotation and strong team defense.
“But, Minnesota is an extremely well-coached team. Their starting group, they really only play five guys, and the conditioning, the connectivity that they play with, they challenge you on a number of areas,” May said.
May singled out Minnesota’s zone defense and anticipation as particularly difficult to handle.
“And I thought their zone was incredibly effective. They get to the ball quickly. Their anticipation skills are second to none,” May said.
May said he was “very, very” happy to leave with a win and with part of the program’s goal achieved.
“So, we’re very, very, very happy to get out of here with a win with uh a portion of our goal achieved, clenching at least a share of a Big Ten regular season championship,” May said.
Following Tuesday’s victory, the Wolverines won their 16th conference title and their first since the Juwan Howard-led 2021 team.
With the victory, Michigan needs to win one of its last three regular-season games to clinch the championship outright, but standing in its way is the Illinois Fighting Illini (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten), who they just so happen to play on Friday, Feb. 27, inside the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, at 8 p.m.
Point guard Elliot Cadeau led the men in maize with 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while fellow guard L.J. Cason followed suit with 14 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the victory.
Big man Aday Mara chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, and two assists in the victory.
Michigan leads the all-time series against Minnesota, 100-71.
The Wolverines have previously reached the 100-win mark against three conference opponents: Iowa, Michigan State, and Northwestern.
Michigan improved to 60-22 at home against the Gophers, though Minnesota had won two of the last three games inside Crisler Arena.
Lineup choices
Asked about lineup choices and the pairing of two primary guards, May credited their playmaking, quickness, and shooting.
“I like a lot of things with those two playing together. Number one, it gives you two dynamic playmakers that can break down the defense off the dribble, and I think that’s what ultimately allowed us to spread Minnesota out was Elliot, his penetration,” May said.
May also credited the staff for player preparation and noted strong shooting from the pair in this game.
“And so those two guys were really, really good tonight in addition to Trey McKenney coming off the bench with a really good, confident game," May said.
Championship celebration
On celebration and focus, May said he allows the team to celebrate, but he emphasizes process and continuous improvement.
“I’m fine with them celebrating. Yeah, I’m okay with them celebrating,” May said.
May said the staff is “process-oriented” and reluctant to over-celebrate when execution can improve.
“We’re so process-oriented. We want to feel good about the way we competed, the way we performed, the way we executed the processes of leading up to the game,” May said.
May warned that success can be fleeting and that every possession matters as the season reaches its final stretch.
“And like I said earlier this year, all glory is fleeting. As soon as we start to feel good about what we’ve done, we’re going to get knocked down. And every game, every possession is incredibly important going forward,” May said.
Travel and fatigue
May explained travel and fatigue from an earlier trip (Duel in the District vs. Duke in Washington D.C.) may have affected the team’s quickness this week, listing late-night travel, flight issues, and sickness as complicating factors.
“I mean, obviously, you know, we’re not excused, but like, yeah, I mean, we went out there, and we got in, and got to the hotel. We’re having dinner at 1 a.m. the night before the game, and then we have game day, and that day is stimulating, and there’s a lot that we poured into it, and then we have flight issues coming back because of weather stuff that everyone’s dealing with,” May said.
May acknowledged the team didn’t look its best but emphasized depth and bench production as insurance in late-game situations.
“And fortunately, uh, L.J. and Trey and Rody Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter and these guys off the bench can get it done when some of the other guys are still stuck in neutral," May said.
Officiating and free throws
On officiating and free throws, May said the game’s officiating led to a low number of free-throw attempts for Michigan, but that consistency mattered more than the total.
“I mean, I thought we got it into the post. I think that’s the way the game was officiated tonight. There’s 11 free throws, and for us, it’s as long as it’s consistent, then we would have liked to shoot a lot more free throws than them,” May said.
May also said ball movement and hitting open threes were key to creating separation late.
“So at that point, you’ve got to hit the middle. You’ve got to hit uh and then once you hit the middle, they do a really good job of fanning out and forcing you to play one-on-one from the nail,” May said.
On rebounding and 50-50 plays, the coach said Michigan must be more relentless and emphasized the importance of extra possessions in close games.
“I do think when you have as much speed, length, and depth as us, I thought we were accepting the blockouts a lot of times. And we weren’t making those multiple efforts and being more relentless to the ball,” May said.
Expansion
May said the Big Ten’s expansion has increased the challenge of winning a regular-season title.
“And I even told Ed a minute ago that these leagues are double the size now. When you look at how difficult it is to win a Big Ten regular season championship, and now you factor in that they’re twice as big, you’re essentially winning a two-times league when you factor in the traditional conferences,” May said.
May closed by stressing the program’s benchmarks and the need to finish the season strong.
“We need to finish the job and take care of business on Friday,” May said.
--> No. 3-ranked Michigan basketball clinch share of Big Ten championship with victory over Minnesota