Dusty May's stone-cold postgame quote proves Michigan isn't even close to satisfied with the Final Four

Dusty May has been to the Final Four before, leading FAU there as a No. 9 seed in 2023, and it shows. On the court after Michigan’s 95-62 Elite Eight demolition of Tennessee, May was prepared to cut the nets down as the Midwest Region champions, but he was in no mood to celebrate. 

Asked by CBS’s Evan Washburn about the greatness everyone has witnessed from this Michigan team that entered the tournament as a No. 1 seed and proceeded to steamroll its way to Indianapolis, averaging 95 points and a 22.5 margin of victory. The second-year head coach of the Wolverines had seemingly already turned the page to next weekend at the Final Four and a colossal showdown with Arizona. 

“We have a chance to win two more games if we do what we’re supposed to do. We have a sign in our locker room that says ‘April habits.’ Since this group got together this summer, we’ve been trying to develop the championship habits that would allow us to turn the calendar to April and continue playing games, and we have a chance to do that.” 

The Final Four was always the expectation for this Michigan team

How quickly May has raised the standard in Ann Arbor. It wasn’t all that long ago that John Beilein led the Wolverines to the Final Four in 2018, but after he left for the NBA a year later, Juwan Howard let the standard slip. His high-water mark in 2021, with a trip to the Regional Final and a No. 1 seed, was impressive, but an 8-24 campaign three years later was unacceptable. 

In the age of the Transfer Portal, it doesn’t take long to escape the doldrums that Howard dragged Michigan to. An overhaul last season had May competing for the Big Ten title in Year 1, and entering Year 2, the 49-year-old was thinking Final Four before he ever saw his team take live action. So the reality of making another trip back, this time as a top seed with high-major resources, didn’t seem to take him by surprise. 

May was stone-cold in his postgame interview. The pride in his players was obvious, but it would be wrong to categorize his demeanor as celebratory. He didn’t even crack a smile when his son, Charlie, hit a three-pointer in the waning moments to much applause from the Michigan faithful in attendance. Watching his players cut down the nets hardly warranted one either. 

Michigan wants more than its first trip to the Final Four since 2018. It wants its first title since 1989, and whether he accomplishes that this year or not, it's undeniable that May is the right guy for the job.