Dusty May didn’t leave Ann Arbor with much unfinished business against Ohio State.
Now the new Mavericks coach is carrying that parting shot with him to Dallas, and he wasn’t shy about it on Friday at Dallas Mavericks Media Day. Asked whether he’ll miss the Ohio State rivalry, May answered with a grin: "Well, we left undefeated.
[Laughs] You know, I have two regrets at Michigan. We finished .500 against Michigan State, and we lost our only matchup to Duke.
So, Kyrie [Irving], Coop [Cooper Flagg], and D Live [Dereck Lively II] have that over me."
That line fit the tone of a coach whose two-year run at Michigan ended with a pile of wins and a national title. May was hired in March 2024 and went 64-13 overall with the Wolverines, capped by a 69-63 victory over UConn in the 2026 national championship game.
The roster-building behind that title run is part of what May says made the job so satisfying. He told CBS Sports, "We had a very, very good sell," and pointed to the way the pieces came together after Aday and Morez were in place.
"The most impressive part was after we had Aday and Morez, Yaxel still decided to join, and then neither one of those guys wavered. I think a lot of times, one of those two guys just wouldn't be able to do it.
They wouldn't trust that it could work with all three."
He added, "They came with some blind faith," and called that process "the most rewarding part, probably, trying to figure out what pieces of the puzzle fit best together."
Not long after Michigan secured its second national title in school history, May moved on to the Mavericks job after Jason Kidd parted ways with the team. According to The Athletic, May left because of issues with the transfer portal, and because coaching in the NBA had long been a dream.
May told The Athletic this week that he had hoped the Big Ten could produce real fixes. "I was so excited for Big Ten meetings, like ‘we’re going to find some solutions,’" he said.
"I go there and I was just like, ‘Oh my God, nothing’s getting fixed. Ever.’"
He also said, "We’ve got to stop talking about the stuff that we can’t change."
May later explained how the Dallas opportunity surfaced during his introductory press conference earlier this year. "We had a great conversation that had nothing to do with this position & whenever we were talking about our [Michigan] guys, it was [asked] if I would have any interest in this job," he said at the end of June.
Then came the moment that sold him. "My eyes went up & instantly, I said, 'This one checks all the boxes.’"
The Mavericks’ decision to draft Morez Johnson Jr. with the ninth pick in the 2026 NBA draft only made the connection tighter. Johnson was one of May’s key players during the championship run, and May said, "I had no idea we were drafting Rez. Masai texted me right when we decided to make the selection and I didn’t even see the message…I was just happy that we got one of the three (Morez Johnson Jr., Aday Mara, or Yaxel Lendeborg)."
Johnson, for his part, said the reunion caught him off guard. "I was insanely shocked when I saw Dusty was going to be coach of the Mavs," he told reporters at Barclays Center after being drafted.
"I did not see it coming at all. And now for him to be my coach again, I’m excited.
I’m excited.
“It’s insane. We just won a national championship together. I can’t wait to get there and go to work with him again and ultimately win again.”
At Michigan, May’s record against Ohio State finished at 5-0, while he went 2-2 against Michigan State during his time in Ann Arbor.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got One More Reason To Beat Michigan
The buildup around Iowas Week 4 matchup with Michigan has taken on an extra layer, thanks to Pat McAfee floating the possibility that ESPNs College GameDay could finally return to Iowa City if the Hawkeyes come through. Iowa has not hosted the pregame show since a 2006 game against Ohio State, even though ESPN has made other recent trips to cover Iowa games, so the idea immediately added some outside stakes to a game that already mattered plenty on the field.
For Iowa, the incentive is obvious. A win over Michigan would not only strengthen the Hawkeyes position in the Big Ten race, it could also put one of college footballs biggest stage-setters back in town for the first time in nearly two decades. The catch is still the same one facing every team in these spots, though: the whole thing depends on what happens Saturday first. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Added Real Juice To This Western Michigan Showdown
Spencer Danielson did not waste time making his respect for Western Michigan clear as Boise State prepares for its next matchup. The Broncos coach said Western Michigan deserved to beat Michigan, pointing to the controversial final seconds of that game and the rule issue that helped swing the outcome, while the NCAA later confirmed replay protocols were not properly followed but could not overturn the result.
For Michigan fans, the bigger note is how this has turned a future opponent into a team with a clear chip on its shoulder and plenty of validation. Danielson also singled out Western Michigans defense and noted the Broncos are still unbeaten, so this one already has the feel of a game where Boise State is walking in alert to both the talent and the motivation on the other sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Faces A Big Ten Test That Should Worry Fans
Iowa is the kind of Big Ten opponent Michigan fans know can make a Saturday feel heavier than it should. The matchup has long carried the look of a grinder, and this one arrives with the Hawkeyes bringing a defense-first identity into a game that will ask Michigan to be sharp, patient and clean in all three phases.
The concern for Michigan is not just Iowas reputation, but the way the Hawkeyes have managed this season on both sides of the ball. Analysts and coaches around the game have pointed to the same basic truth: if Michigan wants to avoid getting dragged into a field-position battle, it will need to handle Iowas strengths early and keep the pressure on rather than let the game settle into the kind of low-possession struggle that usually favors the Hawkeyes. [Read more 🡒]