A roster is finally in place, leading to some surprising levels of optimism.
What once looked bleak now seems quite exciting, as Dusty May has completely overhauled the basketball roster. In some ways, it was always going to be addition by subtraction for the Michigan Wolverines, trading Juwan Howard for May and his impressive coaching staff and swapping last year’s roster with…basically any other basketball player.
However, it is not just any sort of player that May has brought in. No, this is a roster that fits his system, full of hand-selected pieces that clearly mesh together much better than last season’s abomination. Will that immediately translate into results? Many transfer-heavy teams have struggled historically. Still, May seems to be making all of the right moves, and the arrows are pointing up in Ann Arbor.
How do you think the season will play out for Michigan basketball?
Perhaps there is a difference between expectations and hopes, but for me I think they are one and the same. Michigan needs to make it back to the NCAA Tournament this season. Yes, this is a big jump from last year, but May is not the type of coach that should require a four-year ramp-up to get this program back on track. Winning a game in March is always a bit random, but getting to the postseason is squarely in this team’s control.
The Big Ten is full of many unknowns, but the Wolverines should be competing for a top-half finish. The way May has constructed this roster will be just fine for conference play, and while there are going to be some frustrating moments, I expect everything to be humming along well enough by the time January rolls around. This team should be able to make enough waves to matter, and a tournament berth is the mark to beat.
What do you think? What sort of season would you be satisfied with in the first year under Dusty May? Let us know in the comments below!