BY DYLAN O’LOUGHLIN
BUFFALO, N.Y. — After falling in the Sweet 16 in 2025 to top-seeded Auburn 78-65, the No. 1 Michigan Wolverines (31-3/19-1) head the Midwest Region of the NCAA DI Tournament this year in search for its first national championship since 1989.
The Wolverines head into the tournament with victories in six of their last seven as Michigan fell to Purdue in the Big10 Championship 78-72.
“We learned a lot,” Michigan head coach Dusty May said. “It was more about how they attacked us, what we didn’t do well, where we had some game slippage and Purdue was incredibly determined. I think when you’re No. 1 in the country going into the year and you have two first-team All-Americans and then you come into the Big10 Tournament as a seven seed, you want to salvage something. So, I think their want-to was greater than ours on the day.”
That was just one of three losses Michigan took throughout the season. The other two came at the hands of the No. 1 overall team in the nation, Duke 68-63 on Feb. 21 and a 91-88 loss to Wisconsin back on Jan. 10.
Michigan started the season 13-0 before the Wisconsin loss scoring 80 or more points 11 times and 100-plus six times while holding opponents to under 70 points on eight different occasions. The Wolverines went on another 11-game winning stretch before its second loss of the season to Duke scoring 80-plus points nine times while keeping their opponents to 80 points or less in every outing.
“We weren’t very good early. We found a way to win and that’s kind of how our season was the majority of last year,” May said. “This year we had some blowouts. We weren’t in very many close games so we didn’t get to learn as much about ourselves as we did in the Big10 Tournament. We’re still doing deep dives into when we’ve played well and when we haven’t and what’s been the difference. But, I think our consistency is just the number of capable players we have. No one plays great every game, but our team has been deep enough where if someone has an off night, someone else has been more than capable of coming in and carrying the load. That’s sacrifice, that ability to stay ready when it’s not going well for you I think are the biggest things.”
Michigan has been one of the best teams defensively all year ranking seventh in defensive efficiency (.943) and third in scoring margin in the nation, beating opponents by an average of 17.6 points. The Wolverines also rank third in the nation in blocks and blocks/game (200/5.9) with forwards Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.
Lendeborg led Michigan in scoring and rebounding with 14.6 points per game (PPG) and 7.0 rebounds per game (RPG). To go along with that the graduate averages 3.2 assists per game (APG) and has garnerd 45 blocks and 41 steals on the defensive side. For his season, Lendeborg was named Big 10 Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year, was named to the All-Conference First Team and All-Conference Defensive Team.
The graduate also earned Transfer of the Year, as Lendeborg transferred to Michigan after two years at UAB. During his tenure as a Blazer, Lendeborg was a two-time Conference First-Teamer and Defensive Player of the Year and was named MVP of the American League conference in 2024. To go along with that, the grad averaged a double-double of 15.8 points and 11.0 rebounds a game while notching 45 total during his time at UAB. In his final season as a Blazer, Lendeborg joined Larry Bird as the only DI athlete to record 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists.
“It’s the modern day of basketball now, I think the transfer portal helps out a lot of kids especially me,” Lendeborg said. “I feel like last year I had a pretty good year, but I went under the radar a little bit because my team wasn’t that good, I was a mid major and we didn’t get that much spotlight. Now, being in this situation, I’ve had the best year of my life. I’m in the spotlight getting coached by a new coach who came from mid major, so he knows how everything works. He did a good job recruiting guys that care for each other and put the team above themselves.”
Mara, the 7’3 center for the Wolverines headed the defense garnering Big10 Defensive Player and All-Defensive First Team honors. On the season, the junior averaged 11.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG and 2.3 APG along with a conference-high 89 blocks for third in the nation. Mara has scored 14 or more in three straight games and has reached double-figures in eight of Michigan’s last nine outings. With the year, Mara was named to the Big10 All-Conference Third Team.
Johnson Jr enters March Madness averaging 13.1 PPG and 7.2 RPG with 38 blocks and 25 steals. The sophomore has scored 10 or more points in four of the last six outings and scored a career-high 29 points against USC. Johnson Jr was named to the Big10 All-Conference Third Team and All-Defensive Team with his season as the trio of Wolverines combined for 18 double-doubles on the year.
“There have been so many times this year where we’ve not been afraid to be more aggressive than we normally are because of the shot blocking that we have down there,” Lendeborg said. “It’s the key to our defense and pretty much how we flow into every game at every position. Aday [Mara] and Rez [Johnson Jr] have been doing a really good job of maintaining all the finishes down low. Whenever teams can’t finish the way we usually do, that really bogs them down and it’s been helping us tremendously.”
The bigs down low also have help with the guards up top including Elliot Cadeau, Nimari Burnett and Trey McKenney. Cadeau transfered from UNC this season and has had an instant impact with the Wolverines averaging 10.2 PPG and 5.6 APG with 24 steals. The junior has scored 10 or more points in three straight and in four of the last five outings including a 10-point, 10-assist double-double against Purdue in the Big10 Championship.
Burnett averages 9.1 PPG, 3.3 RPG and 1.7 APG along with 75 steals and 23 blocks. The graduate dropped a season-high 31 points against Penn State and has scored 10-plus points in two of the last four Michigan matchups including 12 points in the Big10 final.
Freshman McKenney has averaged 9.6 PPG with a high of 21 points against Oakland while shooting 45 percent from the field and 38 percent from three-point land. In Michigan’s last four matchups, the freshman has scored 10 or more points in three of them as McKenney earned a spot on the Big10 All-Freshman team with his season.
“They’re very important to the team,” Johnson Jr said. “They’ve been helpful for us, getting us in spaces where we want the ball and everything like that. Controlling everything is very important for us and making this team go.”
Michigan takes on the No. 16 Howard Bisons who just earned their first ever NCAA Tournament victory with an 86-83 win over UMBC in the First Four on Tuesday, March 17. The Bisons roll into the contest on a nine-game win streak with victories in 15 of its last 17 outings. Under head coach Kenneth Blakeney, Howard has reached the tournament three times in four seasons.
“We all know how dangerous the NCAA Tournament is. Every team is here for a reason,” May said. “Howard’s really good and it’s daunting to even look at brackets. Seeding can be a result of injury during the course of a year and our season is long so you could be a completely different team over the course of the season. For anyone that’s followed the game like we have, we’re very well-versed and upsets can happen any time, any where, especially when you’re playing a team that’s as capable as Howard.”
Tip-off for Michigan is scheduled for Thursday, March 19 at 7:10 p.m. at the KeyBank Center. The game will be televised on CBS.
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