It's hard to put into words what Michigan and Dusty May are getting done right now. On Tuesday night in primetime, the Wolverines traveled to take on Purdue in what was supposed to be an 'upset alert' kind of game for the No. 1 team in the country.
3 things we learned from Michigan's high-stakes win vs. Purdue on the road
Instead of falling to the No. 7 Boilermakers, the Wolverines posted a 91-80 win, continuing to remind everyone that this team has what it takes to push for a national title. On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Seth Greenberg, a former college coach himself, hyped up the Wolverines in a way that fans need to take notice of:
"They don't have top-10 guys, but they have a bunch of NBA players. What's been so effective is how they've used the portal."@SethOnHoops talks about how Michigan has been so successful throughout college basketball season 🏀 pic.twitter.com/Y0ARKFGBNn
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) February 18, 2026
ESPN's Seth Greenberg is crediting the transfer portal for No. 1 Michigan's success
"They don't have Top 10 guys, but they have a bunch of NBA players," Greenberg said. "What's been so effective is how they've utilized the portal. They hit a home run in the portal. Aday Mara, a UCLA transfer. He protects the front of the rim, a 7-footer. Yaxel Lendeborg, who was probably the most pursued player in the portal, from UAB - 6-9 small forward who can also slide to the 4 if you want to play small."
Greenberg then of course went on to praise North Carolina transfer Elliott Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr., who have also been nothing short of tremendous for May and the Wolverines. Indeed, the transfer portal proved to be gold for the Big Ten side and now people are dreaming of a natty run.
Could this change the way that programs start to recruit moving forward too? While landing a 5-star prospect out of high school is always going to be great, Michigan focused on the portal instead and the majority of its NIL money went there.
That decision may have been viewed as controversial, but no one can argue with the fact that it's working perfectly right now. Come Saturday night, we'll see how excellent this group can be, as the No. 3 Duke Blue Devils are next on the schedule.
Duke is led by 5-star freshman Cameron Boozer, who has looked like one of the best players in the country. This is going to be a massive test for the Wolverines, but the Michigan faithful also have a ton of confidence right now and rightfully so. No one will be shocked if Michigan takes care of business vs. Jon Scheyer's standouts.