- The Field of 68 Daily
- Posts
- No more Maize and Boos
No more Maize and Boos
Dusty May's got the players and the system to overhaul Michigan from last place in the Big Ten to an NCAA Tourney contender. But there's more than just that. Plus, the poorly planned Vegas schedule, Northwestern's overseas finale, Pitt's good news, Purdue's in-state addition and more.
Mike Miller
August 29, 2024
In partnership with
Good morning! It’s almost September, which means we have less than 70 days before the start of college basketball. That’s a good feeling.
All your news. None of the bias.
Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 3.5 million readers find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight.
1. Michigan’s biggest offseason move was for its future
Michigan’s offseason haul was substantial by any measure.
It’s starts with the six transfers, four of whom are expected to start for the Maize and Blue:
Guard Tre Donaldson (6.7 ppg,3.2 apg at Auburn)
Guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (13.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg at Ohio State)
Forward Danny Wolf (14.1 ppg, 9.7 rpg, 2.4 apg at Yale)
Center Vlad Goldin (15.7 ppg, 6.9 rpg, 1.6 bpg at FAU)
Wing Rubin Jones (12.1 ppg at North Texas)
Forward Sam Walter (5.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg at Alabama)
Then there’s three freshman, which includes one of Scottie Pippen’s sons, Justin, a 4-star guard.
(Actually, I almost forgot the one last offseason addition this week, but this player was probably a given.)
However, the biggest offseason addition was the coach, Dusty May. He turned FAU from a low-run, low-major program into a Final Four, Top 25 mainstay. His job at Michigan? “Our goal is to be enjoyable to watch,” he said during his introductory press conference in March. “We want to win championships, but we also want to put fans in the seats and be easy on the eyes.”
That sounds nice for Year 1. He wants his squad to play fast and share the ball.
But beyond? It’s make the Wolverines into Big Ten and Final Four contenders.
Rob Dauster and new Field of 68 analyst (and former Big Ten standout) Ant Wright discuss how May’s move to Ann Arbor should play out this season, and how his approach to roster building should serve him well.
But what about beyond this season? Can May get Michigan to that final weekend? After all, if he can get FAU to a Final Four, it should be doable with the Wolverines, right?
After all, they’ve been to two Final Fours and two additional Elite Eights since 2013, something only a handful of college hoops programs have done.
Does it help that the architect of three of those runs, former coach john Beilein, is a believer in May? Maybe Beilein is a little biased, but nobody would doubt Beilein’s ability to assess program building. And he thinks May has that certain something found in all great coaches. From On3.com:
Beilein was part of the hiring process that brought May from Florida Atlantic to Michigan. He joined Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., for part of May’s interview. Beilein was impressed by what he heard from May there and what he gathered from mutual friends.
“I’m extremely optimistic,” Beilein said of the new Michigan coach. “I’m very optimistic about what he’s going to do.
“Before Warde Manuel hired him, I was called in to just do some questions with him. I asked him seven or eight questions, and he nailed every single one.
“He’s got a presence about him that makes people excited to root for him, to play for him, to work side by side with him. And that energy is contagious. [Former Michigan forward] Moe Wagner was like that as a player. Everywhere you went, he brought this presence, this energy, this positive attitude. I feel this same thing as a coach with Dusty.
“I’d want to play for him or I’d want to be an assistant coach or I’d want to be in the stands rooting for him.”
There are no guarantees in college hoops. Injuries happen. The transfer portal can disrupt a roster. And the preseason No. 1 team hasn’t made the Final Four since 2016, which says something about the weight of expectations (and the randomness of a single-elimination tournament).
But May’s at Michigan, a place where coaches can establish roots and stay for an extended period of time. At just 47, he’s entering his coaching prime. And Michigan’s certainly hoping to reap those rewards.
2. Feast Week just got wasteful
Is it too much to ask the TV networks to coordinate? Just once?