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It may only be November, but Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May is looking towards April and March. 

On Sunday, the Wolverines played Wake Forest at a neutral site in Greensboro, North Carolina — a high-energy atmosphere with tournament-like conditions and a large opponent fan presence — with Michigan falling short, 72-70. Despite the loss, the competitive setting was precisely what May intended when planning his schedule. He hopes that the team will have the experience needed for a postseason run by facing high-caliber opponents early and often. 

“I have no idea how many games we’ve won, we’ve lost,” May told the media on Monday. “I know that we lost our last game. … The NCAA tournament has proven that if you play as competitive a schedule as possible they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt in a tie. All those things add up to it being wise for us to play as many games as we can like this. At the end of the year, I may be kicking myself, but right now we think it’s going to help us improve.”

Sunday’s game, with a different backdrop and ‘type of energy’, as May put it, was new for this rebuilt Wolverine squad. Despite coming out of the gate with a 25-12 lead, their inexperience peeked through the cracks as the game went on. While the lead was within six points for either team in the second half, Michigan couldn’t pull away, falling behind with 8:51 to go and never regaining the lead.