Dusty May reveals key to Michigan basketball staying on course, winning in the Big Ten

ANN ARBOR – The Michigan Wolverines are currently in the driver’s seat for the regular-season Big Ten Championship, but there is plenty of basketball left to go.

Despite two top ten wins last week, Michigan knows it cannot let the last week of January be a peak in its season, similarly to how the week in Vegas in November could not be. Head coach Dusty May discussed the road ahead and the keys to staying in the fight during his Monday press conference.

“Staying healthy, staying together, just playing well at the right times, timely shooting,” May said. “These teams are really, really good. And I heard a coach say it the other day that it’s not who you play, it’s when you play them. And the ebbs and flows of the season, where you catch them in their schedule and your schedule, those things all matter.

“But we’ve got a Penn State team that gave us everything and then some on this Thursday. We’re focused on that game, and I’m not even sure who we play. I think we’ll go on the road the game after that. I think Ohio State maybe. So we’re not looking too far down the line. We could be a different team by then. Those teams could be a different team. We obviously know how good both of those teams are.

“I mean, Illinois, I’ve caught their last couple games, at least parts of them. And they’re playing at a high, high level. … [Keaton] Wagler’s playing as well as anyone in all of college basketball lately. And then they’re like us. They’re big, and they’re skilled. And so they’re going to present several challenges. And in Purdue, you have two first-team All-Americans. So I don’t even know when we play either one of those teams, but I’ve seen both of them enough to know that if I start thinking about them now, then I’m probably going to have an anxiety fit. And we won’t do what we need to do as far as focus on Penn State.”

Michigan is not going to let itself get caught looking ahead. U-M and Illinois are tied atop the conference at 10-1 with Nebraska and Michigan State a game behind at 9-2. Though the Wolverines have the tiebreaker over both after head-to-head wins over each last week. Purdue and Wisconsin linger behind at 8-3, two games back of first.

“We just try to… Let’s just get ready for that next possession, and let’s just play the next one, and then play the next one, and play the next one, and know that we have each other’s backs,” May said Monday. “And I don’t have to be great, but I’ve go to be very intentional with being here where our feet are, playing and competing at this moment, and just, like I said, the trust and faith that that will be enough. The scoreboard’s going to say what we need it to say at the end if we take our day-to-day and our process is the right way.”

Penn State, Michigan’s next opponent, is 1-10 in the Big Ten after a win over Minnesota this weekend. But the Nittany Lions gave U-M one of its biggest scares of the season in a 74-72 Wolverine victory in Happy Valley earlier this season.

May and Michigan are on high alert.

“They have some tough, tough match-ups. [Kayden] Mingo didn’t play in our game and he made a big-time game-winner against Minnesota. They’ve played a lot of the top teams close. … I mean, if [Freddie Dilione] hits that shot against us, our season may look a little bit different.

“You just keep getting to the next thing, but understanding all 18 teams, as Rutgers has shown, they’ve done an unbelievable job of continuing to improve, of fighting like crazy and every team in our league is really, really… Everyone has really good players. Period. So if you think you can take a night off in our league, then you’re going to be disappointed and probably be playing from behind the rest of the year.”

Michigan’s tilt against the Nittany Lions at Crisler Center is set for 6:30 p.m. ET on Thursday with Fox Sports 1 on the broadcast.