ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Nimari Burnett is old enough to have played college basketball with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Mac McClung at Texas Tech, Brandon Miller at Alabama, Vladislav Goldin (at two different schools) and Danny Wolf at Michigan.
Together, those teammates would make a passable NBA lineup, not to mention an entertaining dunk contest. Burnett, now in his sixth season of college basketball, has a special feeling about the Michigan team that will open its season Monday night against Oakland.
“This is probably the most talented team I’ve been on,” Burnett said. “When you combine IQ with athleticism and size, we’re going to be really, really tough to beat.”
Burnett isn’t the only person saying these things. Assistant coach Mike Boynton coached Pistons star Cade Cunningham during Cunningham’s one-and-done season at Oklahoma State. As good as Cunningham was and is, there’s a difference between a team with a singular superstar and a team that has playmakers at every position.
“This is the most talented group, collection of people, that I’ve been around,” Boynton said.
The Wolverines have one of college basketball’s most versatile players in Yaxel Lendeborg, one of the sport’s tallest players in 7-foot-3 center Aday Mara, and one of its most experienced players in Burnett. Illinois transfer Morez Johnson Jr. is a force in the paint, and North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau is a pace setter with the ball in his hands.
That collection of talent earned Michigan the No. 1 spot in The Athletic’s rankings and the No. 7 slot in the preseason Associated Press poll, the program’s highest preseason AP ranking since the Wolverines started the year No. 6 in 2021. The roster-building phase was a success, but the team-building part is ongoing.
“We have some unique pieces, and when you have unique pieces, you’ve got to find a way to connect it and make it all work together,” coach Dusty May said.
Here are five pressing questions as the Wolverines prepare to tip off their season in a quest to become the Big Ten’s first national champion since 2000.
How good can Lendeborg be?
Lendeborg, a preseason All-American and the No. 2 player in The Athletic’s top 100 transfers, had 31 points and 12 rebounds in an exhibition against Cincinnati, and May came away feeling like the forward didn’t play particularly well.
“When I heard that statement, in my head I was like, ‘What the …?’” Lendeborg said. “Like, what do you mean? I thought I played great.”
Lendeborg clarified that he’s glad May is treating him like the NBA lottery pick he can become, rather than the overlooked player who went from junior college to mid-major stardom at UAB. Lendeborg is a 6-foot-9 forward who can shoot, rebound, block shots, handle the ball and score from anywhere on the floor. Because stardom is relatively new to him, he’s still learning to play in constant attack mode. As Lendeborg grows into his talent, the possibilities are limitless.
“I’ve never been pushed this far or this hard in my life,” Lendeborg said. “It is something I have to get adjusted to.”
Is the turnover problem fixed?
Michigan won the Big Ten tournament and advanced to the Sweet 16 last season despite having one of college basketball’s highest turnover rates. The Wolverines thought they addressed that problem in the offseason, but it surfaced again with 22 turnovers in an exhibition win against St. John’s.
“We’ve got to change some things,” May said. “It’s Year 2. It’s two different teams, so it’s not just the players. It is a small sample size this year, but the urgency is at an all-time high to get it fixed and figure out why it’s happening now, out of the blue.”
May wants the Wolverines to play fast, which means living with some turnovers. Cadeau is dangerous in transition, but he also turned the ball over at a high rate last season. Some of the team’s sloppiness can be attributed to a group of players still learning each other’s tendencies, but the Wolverines learned last year that turnover problems can linger if they aren’t fixed early.
“We don’t have any pixie dust to sprinkle on it,” May said. “We’ve all got to be much more intentional about passing and catching, about giving the ball space.”
Is this college basketball’s best frontcourt?
If not, it’s on the short list. Lendeborg can do it all, and the Wolverines have a pair of exceedingly talented bigs in Johnson and Mara. Johnson can bully people in the paint at 6-9, as he showed last year at Illinois. Mara is a lob threat and rim protector who blocked 17 percent of opponents’ 2-point shots when he was on the floor for UCLA last season.
Mara, who’s originally from Spain, is still adjusting to the physicality of the Big Ten, May said. He’s a smart passer who moves well for his size, and Michigan is pushing him to be a bigger factor in transition.
“If there’s one thing he can make a big jump on, it would simply be changing ends,” May said. “I think he’s leaving a lot of points on the floor by not finding that desire to go get some easy baskets in transition, because he’s capable of it. He can move. He can run. He’s much more agile than he gives himself credit for.”
Does Michigan have enough outside shooting?
The Wolverines weren’t a great 3-point shooting team last year, and they’ll be relying on a lot of the same players in their backcourt. Burnett is a reliable catch-and-shoot option, and Will Tschetter should be able to space the floor as a 6-8 wing with range.
The Wolverines have a lot riding on Cadeau and Roddy Gayle Jr. turning the page from last year. Gayle had a miserable shooting stretch during Big Ten play and shot 23 percent from 3-point range for the season. The Wolverines believe he can be a solid outside shooter in addition to being a lockdown wing defender and an aggressive driver, though some skepticism is warranted after two seasons in which he shot less than 30 percent from 3.
“He earned it,” Boynton said, noting that Gayle may have felt extra pressure last season after transferring from Ohio State. “Now he can just be him as a Michigan returner and be able to play with a little bit more freedom and less focus on trying to prove something about who is.”
Cadeau was a streaky outside shooter last year at North Carolina, but he has made shots in big games. Sophomore L.J. Cason and freshman Trey McKenney will also have chances to earn minutes in the backcourt rotation.
How will Michigan handle the spotlight?
The preseason buzz is reminiscent of May’s final season at Florida Atlantic in 2023-24. Coming off of a Final Four appearance, the Owls brought back most of their team and were ranked No. 10 in the AP poll. FAU had a good season but not a great one, and May has said he could have done a better job managing internal and external expectations for the team.
This is a different situation in many ways. That FAU team was returning more or less intact; this year’s Michigan roster is almost entirely new. It could take time for the players to jell, and patience will be paramount if the Wolverines don’t look like a Big Ten title contender in November. If everything comes together, the team has enough talent to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.
“We need to be very honest with ourselves on what we’re doing well and what we’re doing poorly, and fix those things,” May said. “If you get lost in the fight, the external expectations hopefully don’t poison the group. That’s on us to be aware, honest and accountable every single day, and hopefully that’s enough.”
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