Dusty May: Michigan fans 'should be pleased' with highly competitive 2025-26 schedule
Michigan Wolverines basketball has marquee games up and down the 2025-26 schedule, which has yet to even be finalized.
In the non conference, the Wolverines will play at TCU, a home game versus Villanova, and neutral-site contests against Wake Forest (in Detroit Nov. 11), Duke (in Washington D.C. Feb. 21). Plus, the Maize and Blue are in the Players Era Festival, a tournament in Las Vegas that has the Wolverines set to take on San Diego State (Nov. 24) and Auburn (Nov. 25).
Michigan head coach Dusty May is exciting about the challenge the non-conference schedule presents.
“We’ve already announced we have Villanova coming in. Obviously, Coach [Kevin] Willard is gonna do a great job with them. We’re at TCU. We have Wake Forest at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. We’re in the Players Era Tournament, where we’re playing two really great programs to begin with, and if we advance we’ll play another one.
“The schedule is exciting. We’ve got a couple really unique exhibition games, as well, that will help prepare us for that schedule.”
Michigan’s exhibition games have yet to be announced. The Wolverines took on Toledo and Oakland last season.
Michigan has its schedule breakdown for Big Ten play, but the dates and tip times are TBA.
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington
Home/Away: Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State
The Wolverines finished tied second in the Big Ten regular-season standings before winning the conference tournament in May’s first campaign in Ann Arbor.
“You factor in how competitive the Big Ten is, with Purdue returning two of the top guys in our league — really three with [guard Fletcher] Loyer — and how everyone reloaded and whatnot,” May said. “And obviously, we’re still chasing Michigan State; they won the league last year, so we gotta go through them.
“It’s gonna be a tough, tough conference race, but we’re excited about our schedule. I think our fans should be pleased. I think it’ll be great for television.”
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Dusty May discusses in-conference transfers
The in-conference transfer is more prevalent than ever before. It was controversial when former Michigan guard Spike Albrecht went from U-M to Purdue — but now a move like that is routine.
May recalled a situation in the late 1990s, when forward Sam Okey transferred from Wisconsin to Iowa.
“My memory is a little fuzzy, but I think it may have been Sam Okey,” May said. “They were a trade between Wisconsin and Iowa, and it got nasty. I think he had to go as a walk-on. He had to attend the next school as a walk-on because you couldn’t transfer in-league, and it was a battle.
“That’s common now. These leagues are so big. There are 18 teams in our league. Between the SEC and Big Ten, we encompass most of the United States.”
Michigan added four transfers this offseason, including two from other Big Ten institutions in forward Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and center Aday Mara (UCLA). May is happy to bring in talent like that, and he’d welcome any departing players to look at other Big Ten schools.
“If a player off of our team decided to leave, I would have no issue him going in our league, because as the draft showed — I think we had eight first-round picks — we want the best players in the Big Ten,” the Michigan coach said. “It’s our responsibility to put great products on the floor and compete at a high level. To do that, you have to have the best talent pool in your conference.
“It is unique, but also I know that when you look at who coached those guys before us, they all have a great foundation, so it’s simply how they mesh with how we do things.”
