Michigan Big Ten Basketball Preview 2024-25: Conference Underdogs

It will be interesting to see the will to succeed of the Michigan Wolverines as they usher in a new era in basketball. The once-powerful Big Ten team experienced a steep decline in recent seasons after former coach Juwan Howard left the team in disarray.

New head coach Dusty May will have a lot of work ahead of him to get the Wolverines back to the top of the Big Ten, but he has already taken big steps to get them into contention now, not later. Michigan won eight games in 2023-24. A completely rebuilt roster and all-new coaches seem to be doing wonders for the program.

Michigan Big Ten Basketball Preview 2024-25: Conference Underdogs

Michigan had to completely rebuild its roster because it lost key players to graduation and transfers. Point guard Dug McDaniel, who transferred to Kansas State, is gone, as is center Tarris Reed.

The Wolverines only have three players who returned from last season, Nimari Burnett, Will Tschetter and Jace Howard, so the way Coach May attacked the portal was hugely important to the future success of Michigan Basketball.

Coach May’s success at Florida Atlantic provides a blueprint for success

It’s no secret that the Wolverines’ coaching change left Michigan with empty lockers, but Coach May’s success in his previous job at Florida Atlantic has shown just how successful he can be. The Owls reached the Final Four two seasons ago and are making their second consecutive appearance in the tournament in 2023-24.

Michigan has been out of the NCAA since the 2021-22 season. Coach May recently spoke with Sam Webb of the Michigan Insider. He discussed how the transition to the new job went and what to expect from the team in 2024-25. The main question May was asked was about culture, and May said to establish his culture, it all starts with recruiting.

“We identify players and people that we want to be around every day, that we want to work with and that we think are a good fit for us,” May said. “And then the next step is what we sell in the recruiting process.”

A big problem of the last regime was egos. It is clear that under Dusty May, egos must be kept under control.

Overhaul of the squad makes Wolverines feel good

The Wolverines were able to add some quality players to their incoming freshman class, including Scottie Pippen’s son, Justin Pippen, and Durral Brooks, one of Michigan State’s best players. But that wasn’t the only need, as Michigan had to completely rebuild the roster and trade six players.

Michigan’s transfer portal class is one of the best in the country as they have added talent across the board. The group is led by Ohio State’s Roddy Gayle Jr., who averaged nearly 14 points per game last season. That was the only major addition for the Wolverines. They have done a lot, literally signing two seven-foot-plus players in Danny Wolf (Yale) and Vlad Goldin (FAU).

It was a complete overhaul of the roster, but Michigan is already looking better. Goldin sat down with Michigan’s Defend the Block podcast to discuss his fit for the Wolverines.

Hear from the FAU Transfer Center @GoldinVlad why Michigan was right for me 🎙️

Listen to Episode 250 of Defend The Block with Brian Boesch | https://t.co/zG3YJHQdqn#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/riY0jfM6OF

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) 25 June 2024

Michigan’s schedule outlook

Michigan’s schedule has its challenges, as they will find out what they accomplished in nonconference play with a trip to Fort Myers, Florida. They could face South Carolina, Virginia Tech or Xavier in the Fort Myers Tip-Off. Add to that another big neutral-site game against Oklahoma, and Michigan will find out how they stack up against other power teams in the country.

As for the 2024-25 Big Ten season for Michigan, it won’t be easy. Road trips to California to face USC and UCLA should be fun, as should road trips to Wisconsin, Ohio State and Indiana. A nice home game, as their most recent rivalry with Illinois is played in Ann Arbor. Michigan will see how it fares against reigning Big Ten champion Purdue, as it will play them twice, along with rivals Michigan State and Rutgers.

A closer look at the conference program was provided via Michigan’s social media.

Along with the Big Ten, UM has released singles and home-and-away series schedules for the 2024-25 season.

🏠: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwest, Oregon, Penn State, Washington

🚌: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin

🏠&🚌: Michigan State, … pic.twitter.com/mv57NQYdL5

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) May 1, 2024

Insider tip for good reason

Michigan is an underdog for a reason, all the roster changes and the signing of a strong team have them right where they need to be. Add to that the fact that most of their new additions are from teams that just made an NCAA tournament appearance. They should give the teams in the Big Ten a run for their money, but being in the tournament is a good start for Coach May.