Wolverines eager to resume Big Ten race with West Coast trip

The Wolverines are headed West. Beginning its unrelenting slate of conference play, the Michigan men’s basketball team will ring in 2025 in typical Big Ten fashion: some 1,944 miles westward on the shores of the Pacific Ocean.

The Wolverines pocketed two conference wins in December, but Dusty May emphasized the shifting attitudes towards a schedule that sees 18 games and nearly three months of Big Ten-only contests.

The season’s first two months were about bringing a new roster together, but the new calendar year will be the ultimate test.

“We’re excited to get on the road and obviously starting conference play three, or first four on the road is a challenge, but we do think we are gifted fortuitous balance with the scheduling having the LA trip during Christmas break,” May said on Monday. “Our players, they’re in the classroom, so they don’t have online classes. So this would have been a tough road swing if it wasn’t during break and so it’s good timing. We feel like we’re growing as a team. It gives us a chance to spend even more quality time together and see how much we can improve and how far we can take this thing.”