How Michigan rode a supersized frontcourt to No. 1

Mark Few looked out over the podium in the press room of the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in late November, as if he were searching for answers.

With 6-foot-9 Graham Ike and 6-10 Braden Huff anchoring Gonzaga’s frontcourt, Few was accustomed to his Bulldogs overwhelming opponents with their size. They had done it in a 10-point win over Alabama’s high-tempo offense and a 39-point blowout of Maryland to open the Players Era Festival — then the script was flipped. Michigan had just bullied the team that leads the country in points in the paint to win the Feast Week’s tournament title by 40.

„Look, we’re a team that really scores well inside … And we literally couldn’t generate any scoring there at all all night,“ Few said of the most lopsided loss since his tenure started in 1999. „That’s something that just doesn’t ordinarily happen to us.“

Gonzaga was the last of three straight Players Era opponents Michigan had dominated by 110 combined points, a harbinger of what was to come of the now No. 1 team in the country. Very few opponents have been able to figure out Dusty May and the Wolverines since. Their lone loss was decided by only three points, only four of their 25 wins have come by one possession, and their 10 victories by 30 or more points are best in Division I. It’s no surprise they are well on their way toward earning the fourth NCAA tournament 1-seed in program history.

At the heart of their success is a uniquely jumbo frontcourt. They start three transfers who are 6-foot-9 or taller — Yaxel Lendeborg (UAB), Morez Johnson Jr. (Illinois) and Aday Mara (UCLA) — who predominantly played the center position at their previous stops. It’s not the first time May has had success leaning into size and unusual lineups; his pairing of 7-footers Danny Wolf and Vladislav Goldin carried them to a Big Ten tournament title and Sweet 16 appearance a year ago. But this season’s frontcourt is bigger, better and looks poised to push for a national championship — giving them enough swagger to adopt „best team ever assembled“ as their mantra.

„We say it before every game when we step onto the court,“ Johnson told ESPN. „Everybody truly believes that. We believe we can win a national championship.“

When May asked defensive coordinator Mike Boynton to watch film of Wolf, the newly hired assistant coach was confused.

„My immediate question to him was, ‘Is Vlad not coming with you?'“ Boynton recalled.

Goldin was primed to follow May from Florida Atlantic to Michigan, but the new Wolverines coach had a vision: to pair him with another 7-footer.

„Watching Danny, the offensive skillet could translate. But could he really guard Braden Smith and switch in ball-screens? Could he switch onto Dylan Harper?“ Boynton asked. „Are we really going to try and fall flat on our face playing two 7-footers?“

Even Wolf couldn’t see May’s vision at first. The Yale transfer hadn’t seen how the former Owls coach had paired Goldin with a backup big during Florida Atlantic’s Cinderella run to the 2023 Final Four. Giancarlo Rosado hadn’t started alongside Goldin the way May envisioned Wolf would, but May had the film to show Wolf what a two-big lineup in his system would look like. They watched high-low actions between the two, pick-and-roll actions involving Rosado.

Wolf was in. He became the fulcrum on the offensive end, creating nightmares for opponents with his ability to initiate as the ball handler in pick-and-roll situations as he developed into a first-round NBA draft pick.

The success Wolf and Goldin unlocked as a duo didn’t come as a surprise to May. He first became intrigued by size as a defensive deterrent when he was an assistant under Mike White at Florida, where the Gators started two 6-foot-8 players at forward in 2016-17, with 6-foot-11 John Egbunu at center for most of the campaign. They won 27 games and reached the Elite Eight as a 4-seed.

„We didn’t overwhelm people defensively [at Florida], but we were big and in decent position. We were top five in the country in defensive efficiency,“ May said. „From that point on, I was like, wow, size is how you’re good defensively.“

With Wolf onto the next level and Goldin out of eligibility, Michigan was in need of a frontcourt rebuild, so the staff got to work quickly. Within a two-week span last April, Lendeborg, Johnson and Mara had each committed to the Wolverines.

May was familiar with all three, especially Lendeborg. The former UAB transfer had gone for 17 points and 21 rebounds in an overtime win against May’s Florida Atlantic team, one of two times they faced each other in 2023-24.

„He had a nose for the ball. He was competitive. He took it personal,“ May said of Lendeborg.

A broken wrist kept Johnson out of his former Illinois team’s one matchup against Michigan last season, but his physicality and athleticism had already caught May’s attention. And while Mara had played only nine minutes against the Wolverines when he was with the Bruins, his ceiling and shot blocking stood out to May.

„We wanted to double down,“ said Boynton, the team’s defensive coordinator. „But all three [had] to be mobile, and they [had] to be able to pass.“

Lendeborg’s commitment is what really elevated Michigan to potential national championship contender, but it wasn’t a guarantee he would take the floor for the Wolverines. He had also entered the NBA draft with a first-round evaluation even boosting his stock after attending the combine. May waited nearly two months until Lendeborg withdrew from the process.

Even with Lendeborg officially in the fold, it didn’t look like a title-contending combination from day one. Lendeborg going through the entire draft process combined with Johnson representing the United States at the FIBA U-19 World Cup in Switzerland meant the three bigs didn’t spend much time together on campus in the offseason. Throw in preseason injuries to Johnson and Mara, and May said they didn’t really have a chance to play together as a unit until a week before the season started.

There were growing pains early on. Michigan nearly lost to Wake Forest and TCU in the opening weeks of the season, and Lendeborg averaged just 10.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his first two games — a far cry from the 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds he put up last season at UAB.

„It was fairly difficult. I had to figure out a way to be more effective on the perimeter,“ Lendeborg told ESPN. „It helped that Morez and Aday are beasts down low … but it did take me about six games to finally figure out where I needed to be in the offense to not clog things up.“

Lendeborg’s assessment was right — three of Michigan’s five worst offensive games of the season came within its first four games. It wasn’t until the Players Era that it really started to click for the Wolverines, who became the first team in the AP poll era with consecutive 30-point wins against ranked opponents.

It was an eye-opening Feast Week performance not seen in college basketball in a long time, if ever. North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau had taken major strides as a shooter and decision-maker, Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. were both terrific on the wings, and the Wolverines’ bench suddenly looked like one of the deepest in the country. The biggest headline of the week, though, was still about what worked up front.

„We’re the best frontcourt in the nation and we’re going to show everybody,“ Lendeborg told TNT after that week’s 102-72 win over Auburn.

Michigan doesn’t play like a team starting three longtime centers up front.

The Wolverines attack like they’re much smaller, running the floor, sharing the ball and shooting 3s at a clip rarely seen for a team with this type of size. They are top five nationally in offensive efficiency, play at one of the fastest tempos in the country (13th), have the third-highest assist rates in the country and still shoot better than 36% from 3. The lack of spacing and foot speed most teams face when experimenting with big lineups isn’t an issue in Ann Arbor.

„Pace and tempo, we work on a lot. Every single day, it’s part of what we do. We’re convicted in it,“ May said. „If you’re committed to running, you’re going to be in a position to make teams counter what you do.“

While Michigan doesn’t force as many turnovers as teams like Iowa State and Houston, it still ranks inside the top 60 in fast-break points per game. In a way, the Wolverines’ size is what allows them to get out and run in transition.

„If you get behind, like on a long shot or you get behind on a turnover, oh good luck to you,“ Matt Painter said after Purdue’s loss to Michigan on Tuesday. „I’d rather teach third grade. Because you’re fouling them. If you’re behind a play and they have numbers, you’re in trouble.“

Having multiple players who can score in the post or step out on the perimeter and shoot it (Lendeborg) or be used as a passer (Mara) — in addition to the shotmaking ability of Cadeau, Burnett, Gayle and Trey McKenney — is what makes Michigan so effective offensively.

„Yaxel being able to stretch the floor is a tremendous help,“ one Big Ten coach said. „[Aday] is a guy you can throw the ball in the post and he can score with his back to the basket, but he’s a phenomenal passer, so he creates a dilemma for you, too. Do we guard him one-on-one or do we try to double? And he’s 7-3 so it doesn’t matter, he can pass over you. Morez is an NBA player, he’s as good a big guy as there is in the country.“

Boynton said forcing teams to adjust to Michigan’s personnel as opposed to needing to change their own approach on a game-to-game basis creates leverage that allows Michigan to control the game.

„If they double Morez or Aday in the post, then we love to play advantage basketball,“ Boynton said. „If you’re not, then you better be really good at three or four different positions, and most teams don’t have enough players to just line up and say we’re going to guard them straight up.“

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The other end of the floor is where Michigan shines, however. The Wolverines are No. 1 in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency, No. 2 in field goal percentage defense, No. 2 in 2-point defense and No. 4 in block rate.

Much like he didn’t dramatically change his defensive tactics for the Wolf-Goldin duo, May hasn’t gone away from the switching man-to-man defense despite playing with three bigs.

„They have three defensive 5s,“ Painter said. „The difference isn’t in their scheme. Their difference is how hard they play, how long they are and how athletic. But that versatility — because Mara can guard a 5, right? And he can cause problems. But you can pick on him, just like people could pick on Zach [Edey]. … but [Lendeborg and Johnson], they’re difference-makers defensively.“

Multiple opposing coaches have said Johnson is the key to Michigan’s defense. And the Wolverines’ staff echoes that.

„The toughness of our team is Morez,“ Boynton said. „He’s the biggest difference between this year and last year.“

Michigan’s frontcourt isn’t its only strength.

The Wolverines have earned their first No. 1 ranking in the AP poll since the 2012-13 season thanks to their depth, experience and balance. Cadeau has become one of the most reliable point guards in the country after a couple of inconsistent seasons in Chapel Hill; McKenney has emerged as an offensive weapon over the past month; Burnett and Gayle both bring Sweet 16 starting experience; and guys like L.J. Cason and Will Tschetter are impact players off the bench.

They have collectively grown into their „best team ever assembled“ mantra.

„It started after the Players Era tournament out in Vegas,“ Lendeborg said. „[Cadeau] started it off for us before the Gonzaga game. Right before we went out, he said ‘we’re the best team ever assembled’ … and then we won by 40.“

In order to keep living up to that standard, Michigan will have to navigate the best player in the country when it faces No. 3 Duke and Cameron Boozer in Washington D.C. on Saturday (6 p.m., ESPN) and the best offense in the country when it plays at No. 10 Illinois next Friday.

As complete as the Wolverines are, their separator over the final stretch — and in the NCAA tournament — will have to be their frontcourt.

„We all came together to get a national championship, it’s been the main goal since day one. Coach said we have the team for it,“ Lendeborg said. „I think we have a real, real, real shot at accomplishing those goals.“