CBB Rank 2025: No. 5, Michigan Basketball

Michigan basketball has its coach of the future. Now, he’ll look to carry a loaded roster to a championship, something the Big Ten hasn’t done in quite some time.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Michigan basketball.

Michigan basketball was another example of the beloved former player becoming the coach and struggling. In Juwan Howard’s last season, they went 8-24, their third-worst season in program history. They went and hired Dusty May from FAU, who had made a run to the Final Four two years prior. It’s safe to say that it’s worked out so far, with Michigan winning 28 games and making it to the Sweet 16.

A big reason why was their dominant big men duo of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin. Their ability to space the floor while still dominating the paint made them so tough to guard. They lost both of them this year, as well as talented guard Tre Donaldson, who moved on to Miami.

They lose two bigs, and they get three. That includes Yaxel Lendeborg, who put up video game numbers at UAB last year. He’s a heavy possibility to win conference player of the year and is a potential All-American. They also add Morez Johnson from Big Ten rival Illinois, who’s a glass cleaner. Finally, they bring in Aday Mara, who stands at 7-3 and, if you couldn’t guess, is difficult to guard thanks to his size.

Elliott Cadeau comes in from UNC, looking to replace the void of Donaldson. He’ll have some help from returning Michiganders in Roddy Gayle and Nimari Burnett. The bench looks strong as well, with Will Tschetter coming back for his fourth season at Michigan, and the #18 overall recruit (247Sports Composite) coming off the bench as well.

This is absolutely a championship-level roster. If all the pieces come together, good looking stopping this combination of size, shooting, and experience.

Head coach: Dusty May (2nd season at Michigan, 7th season overall)

2024-25 record: 27-10 (14-6)

2025 postseason finish: Lost to Auburn (78-65) in Sweet 16 of NCAA Tournament

Notable departures: 

• Vlad Goldin (16.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 1.1 APG)
• Danny Wolf (13.2 PPG, 9.7 RPG, 3.6 APG)
• Tre Donaldson (11.3 PPG, 4.1 APG, 3.5 RPG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Wake Forest (Nov. 11) – Detroit, MI
• at TCU (Nov. 14)
• vs. San Diego State (Nov. 24) – Players Era Championship
• vs. Auburn (Nov. 25) – Players Era Championship
• Players Era Championship (Nov. 26-27)
• vs. Villanova (Dec. 9)
• vs. La Salle (Dec. 21)
• vs. McNeese (Dec. 29)
• vs. Duke (Feb. 21) – Washington, D.C.

Projected Rotation

PG: Elliott Cadeau (6-1, 180, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.4 PPG, 6.2 APG, 2.9 RPG, 1.1 SPG, 44.5 FG%, 33.7 3P%, 67.0 FT% (UNC)

SG: Roddy Gayle Jr. (6-5, 210, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.8 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 SPG, 43.1 FG%, 23.2 3P%, 79.2 FT%

SF: Nimari Burnett (6-5, 195, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 9.4 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 47.6 FG%, 40.0 3P%, 76.3 FT%

PF: Yaxel Lendeborg (6-9, 240, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 17.7 PPG, 11.4 RPG, 4.2 APG, 1.8 BPG, 1.7 SPG, 52.2 FG%, 35.7 3P%, 75.7 FT% (UAB)

C: Morez Johnson Jr. (6-9, 250, So.)

2024-25 stats: 7.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 1.1 BPG, 0.4 SPG, 64.2 FG%, 61.8 FT% (Illinois)

6: Aday Mara (7-3, 255, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 6.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.6 BPG, 59.0 FG%, 57.7 FT% (UCLA)

7: Will Tschetter (6-8, 230, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 6.4 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.6 APG, 47.7 FG%, 35.1 3P%, 86.0 FT%

8: Trey McKenney (6-4, 225, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #18-ranked recruit

9: LJ Cason (6-2, 195, So.)

2024-25 stats: 4.3 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.4 SPG, 36.8 FG%, 24.6 3P%, 81.6 FT%

10: Winters Grady (6-6, 210, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #94-ranked recruit

Michigan Basketball team MVP: Yaxel Lendeborg

I want to start by reading off his statline from a win against Eastern Carolina last season.

40 minutes, 30 points, 20 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, 4 blocks, 0 turnovers, 56.3% shooting.

If that doesn’t tell you all you need to know about how insane he is, basketball might not be the sport for you. While he didn’t have a statline like this in any other games, he had plenty of 20-10-5 games for UAB last season. In the two exhibition games against Cincinnati and St. John’s, he averaged 28 PPG, 11 RPG, and 2 APG. Now, it’s just an exhibition, but if you were hesitant that his game wouldn’t translate to the Power 5, then that should show you.

He can score on all three levels, he can rebound on both ends of the floor, and he has terrific vision for a big man. He’s also an unbelievable defender. As mentioned earlier, if all goes right, he won’t only be a Big Ten POY favorite, but an All-American favorite as well.

Michigan Basketball make-or-break player: Elliot Cadeau

Cadeau was a promising prospect, being rated as a five-star and a borderline top 10 recruit. He’s had two decent seasons of college basketball, but nowhere near what people expected of him. He started out his sophomore season pretty strong, but once February rolled around, things went downhill.

He scored in double figures just three times in 15 games, after doing so 15 times in 22 games before. It felt like a change of scenery was due, and no better coach to join than the one who has elevated players like Gayle, Johnell Davis, and Tre Donaldson. If he can take that leap, this team might not have any weaknesses. He’s already a great passer, and if he can find more balance and give them that extra layer of depth, it will be very difficult to beat this Michigan team.

Key analytic: Turnovers per game

Everyone who watched Michigan basketball last year knew they had a clear kryptonite, and that was turning the ball over. They averaged 14.0 a game last year, 337th in the country and second worst amongst Power 5 schools, ahead of just Colorado. The good news is that Wolf, Goldin, and Gayle accounted for 54% of those turnovers. There were several winnable games they lost last year solely because they had so many issues with turnovers.

Hopefully, their replacements don’t turn the ball over as much. Lendeborg averaged 2.2 a game, Cadeau averaged 3.1 a game. So that’s not great. If that’s something they focus on this offseason, especially knowing how much it negatively impacted them last year, then that could be the difference between a few wins and losses, which is so important in a competitive Big Ten.