Michigan basketball won the Fort Myers Tip-Off in former Florida Atlantic coach Dusty May’s return to the state of Florida.
“It’s nice to be back,” said May.
It’s coach May’s first trip to the Sunshine State donning the maize and blue on the sidelines since he left Florida Atlantic. He coached in Boca Raton for six years, taking the Owls to back-to-back March Madness appearances, with a Final Four run in 2023.
“One of the guys said they saw a lot of FAU hats and shirts,” said May. “Obviously with so many Michigan maize and blue here, it’s nice that people in the area that root for our staff and our players like Vlad (Goldin) are coming over to support.”
Vladislav Goldin joined Dusty in his new home in the Great Lakes State. Goldin spent three years at Florida Atlantic and was a pivotal part of the Owls Final Four run.
Only two hours and change across Alligator Alley (I-75) separates Fort Myers from Boca Raton. But the love could be felt throughout the arena, from FAU fans who made the trip and Michigan fans alike.
“I’d like to shout out Wolverine Nation,” said May. “They turned this into a home game. A couple of the workers outside said that they felt like this was the best crowd they have seen, and they’ve had some schools that really travel well in this event. So I want to show gratitude toward our fans. They did give us extra energy.”
May actually lost in his last head coaching trip to Fort Myers, as the #7 Florida Atlantic Owls fell to a 5-9 Florida Gulf Coast team on December 30th, 2023. It came immediately after May and the Owls took down #4 Arizona in Las Vegas in 2OT, 96-95 (the highest ranking win in program history). This trip to the Palm City turned out much different.
Michigan took care of Virginia Tech in the semifinal, 75-63. 20 points from Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr., his best performance in a Michigan uniform, helped the Wolverines claw back from an 11-point deficit. No first half points from their scoring leader, Tre Donaldson, was turned around in the second half. Donaldson finished with nine points and two threes. They would need a cleaner performance if they wanted to beat undefeated #22 Xavier in Wednesday’s championship game.
And clean up they did. They went on a 19-3 run over the span of six and a half minutes of the half, heading to the break with an 11-point lead. They forced 11 turnovers in that first half, against a Xavier team that averaged 9.3 for an entire game. Danny Wolf had 16 first half points, hitting all four of his three pointers.
And every run that came in the second half, Michigan responded. Goldin couldn’t be stopped, and neither could the Wolverines beyond the arc. 10 for 20, a clean 50%. They’ve struggled in the young season with turnovers, and Xavier hadn’t. The script was flipped tonight, seeing the Wolverines force 18 turnovers, while only letting up 9. Their size and length allowed them to disrupt Xavier passing lanes, and keep the battle on the boards even.
“Michigan’s size is striking,” said Sean Miller, Xavier’s head coach. “Not until you’re out there do you understand.”
A 16-0 run late in the second half sealed the Musketeer’s fate. And the mostly Michigan crowd let them hear it. They roared on a Tre Donaldson and-1 that put Michigan up 21 against a top 25 opponent. A hodge podge group of Wolverines, that have had their struggles this season, leave Southwest Florida with two double-digit wins.
“We’ve always felt like we’ve had a little bit of an odd team,” said May. “Like they didn’t naturally fit.”
If anyone knows how to make square pieces fit in round holes, it’s May. He did it in Boca Raton, and he’s doing it now in Michigan.
20 points from Wolf and 18 from Goldin were the standouts on Wednesday night.
Michigan wins the Fort Myers Tip-Off Championship, 78 to 53, over #22 Xavier.
“They fought like warriors tonight,” said May.
A glimpse into what Dusty May built at Florida Atlantic seems to be translating to Ann Arbor. And what better place to see him shine than in the Sunshine State itself, in front of some FAU fans that have seen it first hand.
Michigan takes on #15 Wisconsin on Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 9 p.m. EST.