Before Michigan basketball head coach Dusty May stepped off the court on Monday night after beating UConn for the national championship, he was talking about the Final Four in Detroit in 2027.
Assistant coaches were spotted working on the portal and setting up Zoom meetings already, shortly after it turned Tuesday morning in Indianapolis.
That's the kind of work ethic that took Michigan to the mountaintop. It will take that kind of effort to stay there.
We know that Michigan will have to make some moves in the portal, with at least Yaxel Lendeborg, Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle, and Will Tschetter graduating. Aday Mara is expected to depart for the NBA draft, while Morez Johnson has a decision to make. Trey McKenney might too.
The Wolverines are certainly working to retain as much of their roster as possible. They have also been connected to some transfer portal targets already, and here are three to know early.
John Blackwell, Wisconsin
The 6-foot-4 guard is from the state of Michigan, but wasn't offered by the Wolverines. Last season, he averaged 19.1 points per game for the Badgers, on top of 2.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds. He also averaged 1.1 steals per game, and was a dynamic 3-point shooter (38.9 percent).
Jamie Shaw of On3 reported that Michigan is expected to be involved. Duke and Indiana are also expected to be in the mix.
Blackwell is a ball-screen maestro. Yet, if Elliot Cadeau is coming back, along with Trey McKenney, the backcourt would feel a little crowded. I don't see McKenney wanting to come off the bench again, either, so I'm not sure about the fit.
It's hard to ignore that talent, and if Michigan can get by with it defensively, that lineup would be nearly impossible for teams to guard and keep out of the paint. Cadeau, Blackwell, and McKenney would cause as many matchup concerns as the 2025-26 frontcourt did.
Flory Bidunga, Kansas
Mara, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, should go to the NBA draft after the way he played in the NCAA Tournament, especially the Final Four. He played like a lottery pick.
With teams wanting to go bigger in the NBA, I don't see a world where he gets out of the top 20. For Michigan, that means replacing the centerpiece of its national championship defense.
One player connected to the Wolverines who would fill that need is Kansas big man Flory Bidunga. The 6-foot-9 forward was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2025-26. He led the Big 12 with 2.6 blocks per game, plus 0.7 steals. That's on top of nine rebounds per game (three offensive).
Bidunga averaged 13.3 points per game, too, and led the Big 12 in shooting percentage (.640). He doesn't have the size of Mara, but if Michigan could retain Morez Johnson, and play Bidunga next to him, that would be an elite frontcourt.
Miles Byrd, San Diego State
In terms of potential replacements for Yaxel, an interesting name has popped up via Travis Branham of 247 Sports, who reports Michigan basketball is a team to watch with San Diego State wing Miles Byrd.
Byrd is 6-foot-7 and was the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year. He led the entire conference in defensive efficiency per 100 possessions.
Bryd averaged 10.4 points per game last season, but isn't a great shooter. He made 40.5 percent of his shots overall last season, but shot just 30.8 percent from deep. He's a career 30.5 3-point shooter with 122 makes. He's also got 156 career steals and 93 blocks.