Michigan Basketball Is Rolling - And the Rest of the Country Is Starting to Take Notice
**ANN ARBOR, Mich. ** - The chants said it all.
As the final seconds ticked off Michigan’s 86-56 dismantling of UCLA, the Crisler Center crowd erupted in a booming chorus: “No. 1!
No. 1!”
And honestly, it’s hard to argue with them.
Michigan is 24-1. They’ve steamrolled their way to the top of the Big Ten standings, and with Arizona stumbling this week, the Wolverines are poised to take over the No. 1 spot in the AP poll - something they haven’t done since 2013.
Before that? You’ve got to go back to the Fab Five in 1992.
That’s the kind of company this team is keeping right now.
Inside the arena Saturday was someone who knows a thing or two about Michigan greatness - 81-year-old Cazzie Russell, one of the most iconic players in program history. Russell, who led Michigan to a Big Ten title in 1966 before going No. 1 in the NBA Draft, hadn’t been back to Crisler in nearly a decade.
Knee surgeries had kept him away, but Michigan brought him back to honor the 60-year anniversary of that championship team. And what he saw was a program not just honoring its past - but building something special in the present.
“This team plays together,” Russell said. “Some of those passes, those no-look dunks - that doesn’t happen unless you trust each other.
They’ve bought in. And nothing builds confidence like winning.”
It’s hard to overstate just how quickly head coach Dusty May has turned things around. Hired two years ago from Florida Atlantic, May promised a brand of basketball that would be fast, fun, and full of energy.
He’s delivered all of that and more. The Wolverines are dominating opponents, sitting at 14-1 in Big Ten play, and have transformed Crisler Center into one of the toughest places to play in the league.
This isn’t the same quiet, half-full building it used to be. Now, it’s packed to the rafters, buzzing well before tipoff - even on Valentine’s Day.
“It’s an hour before the game, and we’re looking at the cameras - it’s already almost full,” May said. “It’s become a big-time environment.
That’s credit to our marketing team, the administration, and of course, the fans. They’ve shown up.”
And the timing couldn’t be better. If Michigan does claim that No. 1 ranking, it’ll come just as the team hits the road for two of its biggest tests of the season - Tuesday at Purdue and Saturday against Duke in Washington, D.C.
That’s a heavyweight week. Purdue is right behind them in the Big Ten race.
Duke is a national contender with top-tier talent. In a lot of ways, it feels like a Final Four dress rehearsal.
But May isn’t letting his team get caught up in the hype.
“This team has such a high ceiling, and we’ve still got a long road ahead,” he said. “I told the guys - as soon as you leave the locker room, it’s time to turn the page to Purdue.”
That mindset - stay hungry, stay humble - is part of what’s made this group so dangerous. They’re deep, they’re unselfish, and they’re still evolving.
Just look at sophomore guard L.J. Cason.
A three-star recruit who originally committed to May at FAU, Cason averaged just 4.3 points last year. This season, he’s become a key rotation piece, stepping up in a big way with 18 points in a comeback win over Northwestern and 13 more against UCLA.
“L.J. Cason is playing as well as any guard in our league right now,” May said. “He’s a sophomore that waited his turn.”
That’s the theme with this team - no egos, just production. Michigan has had six different leading scorers in its last eight games.
The ball moves. The players move.
And at the center of it all is Yaxel Lendeborg - a do-it-all forward averaging 14.4 points and 7.7 rebounds in just over 28 minutes per game. He’s not flashy, but he’s incredibly efficient and always in control.
A superstar who doesn’t need the spotlight to shine.
For Russell, watching Lendeborg brought back memories of his own time in maize and blue.
“He reminds me of myself in some ways,” Russell said. “The team trusts him.
They go to him when it matters. That’s what leadership looks like.”
And that’s what connection looks like - a word May uses often. Connection between players.
Connection to fans. Connection to the program’s history.
It’s not just about winning games - it’s about building something that lasts.
May knows this program stands on the shoulders of legends like Russell. He’s made it a point to honor that legacy, while also pushing the Wolverines into a new era. And right now, it feels like everyone - from the fans in the upper deck to the banners hanging from the rafters - is pulling in the same direction.
“That’s what we’re striving to be,” May said. “A program built on connection and love for each other. And we have that.”
The wins are piling up. The rankings are climbing.
And the Wolverines? They’re just getting started.