Ever since the days of John Beilein and Jim Harbaugh roaming the sidelines, the Michigan Wolverines have been in the midst of their glory days—three championship appearances in 10 years between the duo. Beilein took Michigan basketball to the pinnacle of blue blood status, while Harbaugh reached the mountain top of the sport. It leaves their successors with lofty expectations to live up to within a bloodthirsty fanbase that always craves more.
For starters, the Michigan Wolverines basketball program had to endure an 8-24 campaign to get where it is today with one of the brightest minds in the game to handle the business. Dusty May reversed the win/loss total in one year and has landed arguably the number one portal class to reload for round two. He has visions of lifting more trophies than just inside the Big Ten next season.
Blue bloods run the college basketball world. You have to go all the way back to 1990 to find a school who won outside of a power conference in the sport. A year earlier, Steve Fisher pulled off the miracle run to win the title and become permanent head coach. May already has a championship pedigree in place, so he may beat Moore to the punch.
As for Sherrone Moore, he faced more adversity in his first go-around replacing the legendary coach Harbaugh. Up until the Indiana contest, it looked like Moore had bit off way more than he could chew. The lightbulb turned on in that loss, though, which in turn signaled one of the greatest three-game stretches in Michigan football history.
Fast forward to 2025, and each coach of the Michigan Wolverines is on the precipice of mastering their craft with the ultimate prize that feels so reachable. For Sherrone Moore, landing the consensus top recruit in the nation means championship or bust. The same can be said for May and the partnership he has built with Trey McKinney and Yaxel Lindenberg, assuming he declares his intentions to play in Ann Arbor.
Landing the No. 1 recruit doesn't always breed success, though. Vince Young, Trevor Lawrence, and Jeremiah Smith are the only three prospects who have hoisted a national championship trophy in the last 20 years or so. Being the premier recruit doesn't guarantee a national championship, especially these days.
Beyond the not-so-distant future, Michigan is handling the new world of NIL pretty well so far. The prices to win a championship will only rise in the coming years, and by bringing in players of this caliber, it shouldn't be a problem for coaches who have adapted to the process.
Before Harbaugh and Beilein, you've got to go back to the nineties when the Michigan Wolverines had coaches and players delivering wins at this level in both programs. Today's stars will be forever linked to Charles Woodson, Chris Webber, Desmond Howard, and the coaches that mentored them to immortal status, if they surpass them in the history books.
So with that being said, it begs the question of who will win a national title first, May or Moore? You decide.