Notebook: Dusty May on Michigan’s unselfish offense, Villanova prep

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The No. 2 Michigan men’s basketball team is still undefeated, and after walloping some top teams in Vegas and routing Rutgers at home, the Wolverines don’t seem poised to slow down.

Per KenPom, Michigan has the best defense in the country and the 11th-best offense.

Saturday’s win over the Scarlet Knights gave the Wolverines four consecutive victories by 30-plus points — three of them by 40 or more. It’s just the second time in program history Michigan has strung together more than two straight 30-point wins; the first came during the 1989 national championship season, when the Wolverines rattled off five in a row.

Ahead of hosting Villanova on Tuesday, Michigan coach Dusty May spoke to the media about preparing for the Wildcats, why his team is so unselfish, and how the Wolverines prep for games now and down the line.

Why Michigan is so selfless on offense

In the preseason, it was fair to assume that defense was going to be Michigan’s strength. The Wolverines’ frontcourt of junior center Aday Mara, sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr., and graduate forward Yaxel Lendeborg was, on paper, one of the best in the country, and had the opportunity to protect the rim better than any other team.

Any expectations on paper were met — or even surpassed — on the court, and Michigan held opposing teams to shooting 37.5% from inside the arc. That’s good for No. 1 in the country, and the Wolverines’ overall defense is also ranked at the top.

It was an offense where more questions surrounded Michigan, from 3-point shooting to how Elliot Cadeau would run the offense. Those questions swirled after some rough offensive outings early in the season, but after the Wolverines’ Vegas run and an emphatic win over Rutgers, Michigan’s offense is exceeding expectations.

That’s in part due to how the Wolverines share the ball, and one of May’s longest answers of the morning came when he was asked what he looks for in players to construct such a selfless roster.

“(We look for) guys that enjoy passing the basketball,” May said Monday. “Aday probably overpasses. Yaxel is a really good passer, he was probably too unselfish at UAB. Elliot Cadeau, obviously, is known as one of the best passers in all of college basketball. Roddy Gayle is incredibly unselfish. And Nimari Burnett, for a guy that shoots it as well as he does, rarely takes a bad shot. Will Tschetter just wants to win. Morez Johnson has never been a volume scorer, he’s just done whatever the game required to win. Trey McKenney is a very efficient player that won at a high level in high school. I don’t think we brought in guys who their identity is shooting and scoring the ball.”