Michigan and Dusty May are coming off their first National Championship together, and the first basketball championship for the Wolverines since 1989. The Wolverines were starved on the court for a championship trophy, and May was able to bring one home in just his second season at Michigan.
Now, the Wolverines have one of the toughest jobs a champion has to face, and that is trying to do it again the next season. The Wolverines had the perfectly built team to sustain the long, grueling season and postseason of college basketball, and almost the entirety of that team is now gone.
The Wolverines didn't lose too many players to the transfer portal, but instead to the NBA Draft. It was known that Yaxel Lendeborg wouldn't return as he was out of college eligibility, but there was hope for Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. to return that ended up never happening.
Both chose to stay in the NBA Draft process, ending their college careers and ending their shot at defending their title. Now, with a newly built roster, it seems like May has an uphill battle, especially seeing that other teams have so many players returning from the draft.
Michigan comes in at No. 3 in ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings
ESPN has released its next installment of the Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings for college basketball, and Michigan didn't budge, coming in at No. 3. While there isn't much worry about how Michigan will fare next season, it can't go unnoticed that the teams that are ahead and even close behind the Wolverines.
Florida, a team that was eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, comes in at No. 1, and a big reason for that is the return of players. Thomas Haugh, Alex Condon, and Rueben Chinyelu all withdrew from the NBA Draft or announced their return for their final season with the Gators, giving head coach Todd Golden all the experience he needs to go win another title.
Illinois, another Final Four team, sits right behind Michigan, and while the Fighting Illini saw losses to the draft as well, the return of Andrej Stojakovic was huge for Brad Underwood. There are many other members from the Final Four squad who chose to stick around.
Michigan is lucky to have the return of Elliot Cadeau, who really became a centerpiece for this Michigan offense, learning to run it to perfection at times. The return of Trey McKenney is big as well as he is coming off a stellar freshman season with a lot more to come in his sophomore year.
May did a good job in the portal, but certainly missed out on some heavy hitters like Bryson Tiller, Flory Bidunga, and John Blackwell. May brought in three transfers: J.P. Estrella, Moustapha Thiam, and Jalen Reed, who bring power conference experience.
May can truly prove just how great a coach he is if he can win back-to-back titles with two practically completely different teams. It won't be easy, as the target has been squarely placed on the back of Michigan, but if anyone has proven they can do it, it's May.
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