INDIANAPOLIS – No. 1-seeded Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May spoke ahead of their Final Four matchup against the No. 1-seeded Arizona Wildcats ahead of the monumental showdown.
Tip-off is slated for 8:49 p.m. inside Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, April 2.
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May, who grew up in Indiana and was a student manager under Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Bobby Knight at Indiana University from 1996 to 2000.
He called his return to the Final Four a “full-circle moment,” reflecting on his early days trying to break into coaching.
As a student manager, May recalled traveling to Indianapolis when it hosted the Final Four, piling into a car with fellow managers and searching for any opportunity to connect with coaches.
“We wanted to find a way into coaching in any capacity,” said May. “We’d just get out and hope to bump into someone and make an impression.”
Back then, he leaned on any small advantage, even flashing a coach Knight camp credential, to spark conversations.
Now, years later, May leads the Wolverines on the sport’s biggest stage.
“To go from chasing coaches and trying to beg for a GA spot to being back here with this team,” May said, “it’s surreal.”
When recalling the 2000 Final Four in Indianapolis, May remembered the student managers who were with him, including Matt Babrick, Dan Block, Dane Fife, and Joe Pasternack.
“Dane Fife was a glorified manager and the most annoying of the bunch,” May said, while Pasternack was kind of the ringleader of that circus.”
May explained how those connections eventually helped him enter coaching.
A CBA coach, Henry Bibby, was looking for a hardworking operations assistant, and through mutual contacts, Mike Davis and John Treloar, May was recommended.
“The stars were aligned, and I fell into that spot,” May said. The experience, May added, taught him a lot and gave their group a chance to leave their mark on Indianapolis during the Final Four.
Arizona matchup
Michigan’s semifinal against Arizona presents a mirror-image challenge, according to May.
May said both teams are built similarly, starting with experienced players who have embraced key roles and consistently contributed to their teams’ wins.
“There are so many similarities with the intangibles and the team character,” May said.
While each team’s frontcourt has drawn national attention for its size and production, May emphasized that the matchup extends beyond the paint.
“There’s great guard play and very intelligent basketball being played by both teams,” May said.
After studying Arizona on film, May said he sees a few differences.
“When we watch them, we see ourselves,” May said. “Other than a few stylistic differences, there’s a lot of overlap.”
With evenly matched rosters, May expects the outcome to come down to the final moments.
“We believe it’s going to be won in the 39th or 40th minute,” May said.
Michigan faces a formidable challenge in the Final Four against Arizona, which features three freshmen, including Ivan Kharchenkov, Brayden Burries, and Koa Peat, playing well beyond their years.
May, however, downplayed the “freshman” label for Kharchnkov.
“If you played in the EuroLeague, you are not a freshman. Let’s knock Kharchnkov off that list,” May said.
May highlighted the experience that allows these players to compete at a high level.
“When we talk about prerequisites to play as a freshman at the Power Five level, playing USA Basketball is one of them. It teaches intensity, sacrifice, and team ball,” May said.
May noted that Burries and Koa Peat have multi-year national team experience, while Morez Johnson Jr. and Trey McKenney have also competed at the USA level.
“That experience allows those guys to be much more advanced than the typical high school player,” he said. “When you factor in age and DNA, those guys just don’t look like freshmen.”
Michigan will have a couple more days to prepare for Arizona, but the coach emphasized the need to respect their skill and experience.
Yaxel Lendeborg
Yaxel Lendeborg has elevated his play during the tournament, though May said it took time for the forward to recognize his own ability.
“It took him a while,” May said. “Our guys have constantly reminded him.”
May described Lendeborg as uniquely unselfish, more focused on fitting in with teammates than pursuing individual success.
Throughout the season, coaches and players encouraged him to be more aggressive offensively, but he resisted.
“He wanted to be one of the guys,” May said. “He didn’t care about individual accolades.”
That mindset, May said, has helped shape Michigan’s team-first identity and strengthen its chemistry.
“It’s allowed us to have a really selfless group,” May said. “It’s improved our environment because he’s been so unselfish.”
Even with his recent surge, May believes Lendeborg still hasn’t fully grasped his potential.
“I don’t think he has any idea how good he is,” May said.
Competition between Wolverines’
Competition within the Wolverines has been a driving force behind its postseason run, according to May.
May, who recently described players like Johnson Jr. and Elliot Cadeau as “psycho competitors,” said that intensity shows up daily in practice.
“All season, when we’ve gone starters versus reserves, the reserves have held their own,” May said.
The Wolverines frequently mix lineups, pitting top players against each other to maintain a high level of competition.
“It’s been a really healthy competitive environment all year,” May said. “That’s a big part of our success and our improvement.”
May added that consistent internal battles prevent stagnation and push players to elevate their performance.
“If you don’t have 10 guys out there battling and pushing each other, you can get stagnant,” May said.
Michigan’s depth, he said, has been key to sustaining that edge.
“The depth of our roster has really helped our practice habits,” May said.
Hanging a Final Four banner
Despite securing a Final Four appearance, May said the focus around Michigan has remained firmly on unfinished business.
Returning to campus after the Elite Eight, May said the program avoided distractions and quickly shifted back into preparation mode.
“To be honest, we’ve tried to keep it as business as possible and limit outside distractions,” May said.
Michigan gave players a brief break before resuming workouts, film study, and game preparation for its semifinal matchup with Arizona.
The response surrounding the program, May noted, felt different from his previous Final Four run.
“This felt like something our guys expected,” May said. “Even our fan base, it felt like they expected it a little bit as well.”
That mindset has shaped the team’s approach heading into the weekend.
“All along, it’s just kind of felt like the mission has not been accomplished yet,” May said.
Big goof
Creating an environment where players feel comfortable being themselves has been a priority for May, even if it leads to nicknames like “Big Goof” for Aday Mara.
May said the program’s culture emphasizes what he called “psychological safety,” allowing players to express their personalities without the intensity of competition.
“When we’re not doing our job, we want these guys to enjoy each other’s company and be who they are,” May said.
That approach has led to a mix of personalities across the roster, from ultra-competitive leaders to more lighthearted teammates who keep the locker room loose.
The “Big Goof” nickname, May explained, came after a playful moment in practice, inspired in part by the comedy series Reno 911!.
After Mara made a spirited but humorous play, coach Kyle Church compared him to the show’s eccentric character, Lt. Dangle, and the nickname stuck.
“It just immediately became ‘Big Goof,’” May said.
May believes allowing players to embrace their individuality has strengthened team chemistry throughout the season.
Recruitting
Building a Final Four team through the transfer portal has helped establish a clear identity for Michigan under May.
May credited last year’s roster with laying the foundation, helping answer questions that often follow a coaching transition, and shaping how the program is perceived by recruits.
“Last year’s team gave us an identity,” May said. “The way they shared the ball, cared for each other, and played as a connected group, that showed what we’re about.”
That identity, combined with player development, particularly among Michigan’s frontcourt, has made the program more appealing to transfers.
“If you’re a big guy that wants to play a certain way, seeing what our guys did makes us an attractive option,” May said.
May noted that recruiting has evolved significantly in the transfer portal era, shifting more power to players evaluating programs.
“The players are choosing us,” May said. “They do more homework and intel on us than we do on them.”
Rather than years-long recruiting battles, May said the process is now more efficient and focused on fit.
“Recruiting has definitely been streamlined,” May said. “It’s much more efficient than it’s ever been.”
As Michigan continues its postseason run, May believes that clarity of identity and alignment in recruiting are key to building sustained success.
Player retention
As teams across the Final Four feature fewer returning players than in past years, May is focusing less on simply keeping players and more on retaining the right ones.
“We brought back our entire team after the Final Four run at FAU,” said May. “It was the hardest coaching job, the most difficult year of my life as an assistant, as a video coordinator, as a head coach. That was the most difficult year for a number of reasons.”
May emphasized that retention is effective only when returning players align with team goals.
“If you’re retaining the right guys, yes, you have to retain the right guys. And I think that’s a big part of our success,” May said.
May noted that the players who returned earned the newcomers’ trust immediately because they were committed to winning without hidden agendas.
“They were all about the team. They taught all of our unwritten rules. They expressed how much Michigan had meant to them and what this place can do for all of us after we’re done playing,” May said.
May also cautioned that retention isn’t always beneficial.
“That year, it would have been much healthier for the group if we didn’t retain everyone,” May said.
Several returning players were unable to contribute due to injuries or depth chart issues, creating challenges for team cohesion.
“Retention is not always good,” May said. “It’s retaining the right guys and making sure they still have the same agenda and objectives, which is to win and do it together.”
Michigan’s approach highlights the modern reality of college basketball, where building a competitive roster requires more than simply retaining returning players.
It’s about creating a culture of trust, shared goals, and team-first mentality, even as rosters turn over more rapidly than in years past.
Elliot Cadeau
Cadeau experienced an allergic reaction on Wednesday (April 1), but the team confirmed he is doing well and has rejoined the squad.
“It was very unfortunate for him to have to go through that,” May said. “If it’s the worst thing that happens to us, then we’re very blessed. It also shows him how much he means to his teammates.”
May praised Cadeau’s resilience and the team’s medical staff.
“They were very concerned, obviously, like we all would be for a reaction like that. But we’re just grateful that he’s fine. We have great medical care, and he’s back with us. Dude’s a warrior. He’ll be fine,” May said.
Cadeau’s return ensures Michigan remains at full strength as the team prepares for its Final Four matchup with Arizona.
Returning to the Final Four
Michigan’s journey to the Final Four this year feels markedly different from May’s experience at Florida Atlantic University in 2023.
“Last year, the Monday after advancing, I spent the entire day talking to coaches who had played in the Final Four about what to do and what not to do,” May said. “The first day was simply learning because we didn’t anticipate getting there.”
This year, the preparation was more structured.
“Our staff got together, went through notes and checklists, tried to recreate what we did well, and figured out a better way to address what we didn’t,” May said. “So I think we’re a step ahead.”
May emphasized the difference in mindset between the two teams.
“Walk into our offices and look at a picture of last year’s group, they were scrapping every single day, battling just to make the tournament. This year, it feels different. We probably secured our NCAA tournament bid after the players’ era in November, so the entire thing feels more expected,” May said.
Despite the familiarity of returning to the Final Four, May said, the focus remains on preparation and executing at a high level.
Fab Five
TNT Sports will feature an alternate broadcast of Michigan’s Final Four matchup against Arizona, with the legendary Fab Five providing commentary, and May said their perspective will be invaluable.
“Other than Michael Jordan, I don’t think there’s ever been a group that changed the culture for the better of our sport than the Fab Five,” May said. “We’re proud to represent those guys and carry the flag for former players at the University of Michigan.”
May added that the Fab Five broadcast will highlight the university’s rich basketball history.
“People have no idea all of the great players and coaches who have walked those sidelines and played on that court. Obviously, the more attention on the Fab Five, the better for us as a brand and a basketball program,” May said.