There are challenging weeks on the college basketball schedule. Then, there’s what No. 3 Michigan has on tap for next week: back-to-back matchups against No. 7 Nebraska (Jan. 27) and a road bout against No. 10 Michigan State (Jan. 30).
“We have a monster week coming up,” May said after the Wolverines’ 74-62 victory over the Ohio State Buckeyes on Friday night in his postgame press conference. “Looking at the immediate future, Nebraska’s one of the best teams in the country, so it’s going to be a challenge to get ready for that one. They’re playing at a high, high level.
“When you’re getting ready to play Nebraska and Michigan State the following week, you don’t have a lot of time to savor past performances, at least from my perspective.”
Nebraska is 19-0 overall this season and sits atop the Big Ten at 8-0 in conference play. The Cornhuskers have then-ranked wins over Illinois and Michigan State on their resume. Meanwhile, Michigan State is 17-2 overall and 7-1 in Big Ten play, good for third in the conference. The Spartans have then-ranked wins over Arkansas, Kentucky and North Carolina.
Regarding Michigan, it out-rebounded Ohio State 35-20 and shot a combined 51.9% from the field on Friday night, with four players scoring in double-figures: Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., Trey McKenney and Aday Mara.
The win moved the Wolverines to 18-1 overall and 8-1 in Big Ten play, good for second in the conference; they have then-ranked wins over Auburn, Gonzaga and USC. Michigan is first in the Big Ten in points (91.7 per game), field goal percentage (51.7%), total rebounds (42.3 per game) and opponent field goal percentage (36.5%).
May, who previously had a six-year stint as the head coach of the Florida Atlanta Owls — a period highlighted by two NCAA Tournament appearances and reaching the Final Four in the 2022-23 season — is in his second season at the helm for Michigan, with the Wolverines a combined 45-11 since he took over. Last season, Michigan reached the Sweet 16.
As for individual standouts, Lendeborg is averaging a team-high 14.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.4 blocks per game; Johnson is averaging 13.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting a Big Ten-high 67.4% from the field; Mara is averaging 10.9 points, 7.2 rebounds and a Big Ten-high 2.6 blocks per game; Elliot Cadeau is averaging 10.5 points and five assists per game, while shooting 44.9/41.1/68.6; Nimari Burnett is averaging 8.9 points in 20.0 minutes per game, while shooting 49.1/40.0/82.8.
Michigan’s in-state tilt against Michigan State is on Friday, Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.
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