The Juwan Howard days are over. Can Dusty May make Michigan basketball a title threat once again?
The tradition continues! CBB Review is again ranking the top 100 teams heading into the new college basketball season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Michigan basketball.
When Juwan Howard joined the program, the beloved alumni brought loads of excitement to the Michigan basketball program, making back-to-back second-weekend appearances. After that, everything went downhill. The team would go a combined 26-40, including an 8-24 season last year, which was enough for the program to part ways with the respected Fab Five member.
In comes Dusty May, who has risen to prominence recently thanks to the Final Four run with FAU two years prior. They followed up with a 25-9 season, and that was enough to woo May from FAU to Michigan.
May brings over his star center Vlad Golden, a top 25 player in the sport and one of the best big men in the country. They also bring in three other transfers from high-level programs in Ohio State, Auburn, and Alabama. It’s not too often we see an Ohio State player head to the hated rival, so expect an entertaining crowd when the two programs face each other.
Along with the high-level program transfers come two elite mid-major transfers Danny Wolf and Rubin Jones. Both can elevate this program and have done so with theirs in the past. You can’t forget about Nimari Burnett, the best returning player and most likely the leading scorers on this Michigan Basketball team.
The non-conference schedule doesn’t look too bad, with a test against Calipari’s Arkansas team being the biggest of them all. After that, a Big Ten that looks wide open with the giant at Purdue is finally gone. Dusty May has a chance to make a splash in Year 1, but it might take some time as this brand-new team looks to mesh with each other.
Click here to learn more about our preseason top 100 teams heading into the 2024-25 college basketball season.
Head coach: Dusty May (1st season at Michigan, 7th season overall)
2023-24 record: 8-24 (3-17)
2024 postseason finish: No Postseason
Notable departures:
- Dug McDaniel (16.3 PPG, 4.7 APG, 3.7 RPG)
- Olivier Nkamhoua (14.8 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.7 APG)
- Terrence Williams II (12.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 1.5 APG)
- Tarris Reed Jr. (9.0 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.6 APG)
- Jaelin Llewellyn (5.2 PPG, 1.2 APG, 1.2 RPG)
- Tray Jackson (5.0 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.4 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Wake Forest (Nov. 10)
- vs. TCU (Nov. 15)
- vs. Virginia Tech (Nov. 25)
- vs. Arkansas (Dec. 10)
Projected Rotation
PG: Tre Donaldson (6-3, 195, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.7 PPG, 3.2 APG, 2.4 RPG, 47.1 FG%, 41.2 3P% (Auburn)
SG: Roddy Gayle (6-5, 205, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 13.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.1 APG (Ohio State)
SF: Nimari Burnett (6-5, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 9.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.4 APG
PF: Sam Walters (6-10, 200, So.)
2023-24 stats: 5.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.4 APG, 39.4 3P% (Alabama)
C: Vladislav Goldin (7-1, 250, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats 15.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.6 BPG, 67.3 FG%, 66.3 FT% (FAU)
6: Danny Wolf (7-0, 250, Jr.)
2023-24 stats: 14.1 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.3 BPG, 1.0 SPG, 47.2 FG% (Yale)
7: Rubin Jones (6-5, 190, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 12.1 PPG, 3.7 APG, 3.6 RPG, 1.5 SPG, 41.6 3P% (North Texas)
8: Will Tschetter (6-8, 230, Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 6.8 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, 58.2 FG%
9: Justin Pippen (6-3, 180, Fr.)
247Sports Composite #70 ranked recruit
10: Jace Howard (6-7, 215, Gr.-Sr.)
2023-24 stats: 2.6 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.4 APG, 66.7 FT%
Michigan Basketball team MVP: Vlad Goldin
Vlad Goldin was great during his junior season when the team made the Final 4, then took it to a whole new level last year. He averaged just under 16 points a game on 67.3% shooting, an unbelievable stat. He also averaged 7 rebounds and 1.6 blocks a game. At 7-1 250 pounds, he’s an immovable object down low, making him such a threat in the post, and his size allows him to not only block shots but do so much more that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet.
Goldin played two Big Ten teams last year, Illinois and Northwestern. Against Illinois, he scored 23 points on 10-15 shooting. Against Northwestern, he had 19 points on 5-6 shooting and added 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. So, Goldin should not have a learning curve. Plus, he keeps his coach, making him and Michigan basketball all the more dangerous next season.
Michigan Basketball make-or-break player: Roddy Gayle Jr.
Goldin was obviously a huge part of FAU’s success over the past two seasons, but the driving factor was the guard play of Johnell Davis and Alijah Martin. With good guard play, the offense can flow smoothly and the chance for success increases drastically. They’ll look to Roddy Gayle to be the backcourt leader.
Gayle took a big leap last year with an increase in minutes, going from 5 points a game to 13. He should get those same minutes this year, but with a year of added experience, this team would love to see him get that to 15 a game. If he can reach that, and Donaldson becomes a pass-first guard, then this offense can be really dangerous in both the front and backcourt.
Key analytic: Opponent shooting percentage
Michigan’s opponents shot a shocking 46.6% last year, ranking them 316th in that category, and only ahead of Louisville, Depaul, and Georgetown for Power 5 conference teams. Florida Atlantic wasn’t phenomenal, allowing opponents to shoot 43.5%, 140th best, but it is certainly an upgrade. The defense has to be better if Michigan wants to turn things around, especially with all the talented scorers in the Big Ten.
If they can bring that percentage down to 43% or better, that could be the difference between a few wins a losses throughout the season.
Michigan Basketball 2024-25 projections
Projected conference finish: 9th in the Big Ten
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit