Dusty May’s Wolverines Make a Statement in East Lansing - and He Called It
Winning at the Breslin Center doesn’t come easy - not for anyone, and certainly not for Michigan basketball. But on Friday night, the Wolverines walked into East Lansing and did something they hadn’t done in eight years: they beat Michigan State on their home floor. And if you ask Dusty May, he saw it coming before the ball was even tipped.
“This team’s never played here. This team is 0-0.
In 40 minutes of game clock, we’ll be 1-0 when we leave here,” May told his squad before the game. That wasn’t just coach-speak.
That was belief. And when the final buzzer sounded, it was prophecy fulfilled.
Let’s put this into perspective. The last time Michigan won at the Breslin Center?
You’ve got to go back to the 2017-18 team - the one that made a run all the way to the national championship game. That’s the tier of company this team just joined.
And they didn’t just break an eight-year East Lansing drought - they also snapped a five-game losing streak to the Spartans overall.
This wasn’t a fluke. This was a team that came in prepared, locked in, and ready to handle the moment. And under Dusty May, that’s becoming a theme.
May’s resume at Michigan is already impressive, and he’s only just getting started. He’s got a Big Ten tournament title under his belt.
He’s taken the Wolverines to the Sweet 16. He’s unbeaten against Ohio State - a stat that always plays well in Ann Arbor.
And now, he’s got a win at one of the toughest venues in the conference.
The Wolverines are currently sitting atop the KenPom rankings, and it’s not hard to see why. This team plays defense - elite defense.
In fact, no one in the country is doing it better right now. That kind of identity travels.
That kind of identity wins in March.
Sure, it’s only February. And no banners are handed out for one road win, even a big one.
But this was more than just a W in the standings. This was a measuring stick moment.
A sign that Michigan isn’t just talented - they’re tough. They’re poised.
And they’re built to contend.
Illinois is currently tied with Michigan atop the Big Ten after their win at Nebraska, so there’s still a lot of basketball left to be played. But Friday night’s win in East Lansing?
That was the kind of performance you circle when you’re looking back at the end of the season. The kind that helps define a team’s identity.
The kind that reminds you - this Michigan squad might be special.