Dusty May takes Michigan back to the Final Four in just his second season

It was 736 days ago when the Michigan men’s basketball team hired coach Dusty May. In his introductory press conference, May said that he was coming into the program to compete on Day 1. In the last 736 days, the Wolverines have won a Big Ten Tournament Championship, a Big Ten Championship, made two Sweet 16 appearances, and are now embarking on the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2018.

And May isn’t ready to stop here.

“This was one of our goals,” May said. “This isn’t the pinnacle for us. We still have work to do. But very proud to add another wooden (Final Four) court up on our practice facility.”

May created a culture through intentional roster construction, building an on-court mentality, and getting his players to buy in off the court. Through that culture and system, May has now also established himself as a college basketball coach who can compete at the highest stage wherever he goes — doing so in just two seasons at one of the most storied programs in college basketball.

“I’m obviously biased, but I think he’s the best coach in college basketball,” graduate forward Will Tschetter said. “Just how he carries himself and how he leads the team. I’m not surprised at all.”

From Florida Atlantic’s Final Four run in 2023 to now, Michigan reaching that same point in 2026, May’s recipe for success transcends the programs he’s in. No matter what level, May proves that his system and approach to modern-day college basketball works.

“It just shows that he’s one of the best coaches out there,” junior guard Elliot Cadeau said. “He did it with a group at FAU that wasn’t supposed to be there, still got them there, and he’s doing it with this group.”