How Michigan basketball has become ‘the hammer’ on the way to taking Big Ten lead

No. 20 Michigan men’s basketball improved to a Big Ten record of 11-2 (19-5 overall) with its win over No. 7 Purdue Tuesday, good enough for first place in the conference. Not only was it a statement that the Wolverines can beat anyone, but it also showed how much they can improve in a short period of time.

Purdue seemed to be at another level when the teams first saw each on Jan. 24, but Michigan made its presence felt at the Crisler Center.

Dusty May on Michigan basketball being ‘the hammer’

Michigan has two seven-footers in its starting lineup with Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin, but it was hard to tell for a majority of the first half of the season. Something seems to have changed since Purdue’s beatdown, and the Wolverines made it clear Tuesday night.

Led us to a B1G win! 😤#GoBlue pic.twitter.com/RQjOEpAAvx

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) February 12, 2025

“… Our guys played with great physicality,” head coach Dusty May said after the game. “I think the last 12 to 15 minutes there were several possessions where I thought, man, we’re the hammer on some of these possessions, as opposed to being the nail.”

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Both of Purdue’s starters in the front-court fouled out late in Tuesday’s matchup: Caleb Furst with two minutes to go, and Trey Kaufman-Renn with 1:15 left. Goldin in particular was causing major issues in the paint.

“Especially blocking out, putting your chest on drivers, just being handsy, being active (so) they’re never comfortable,” May said of how his team used physicality. “I’m partly to blame (for a lack of physicality earlier in the season). All summer I underestimated the physicality of the Big Ten.”

May said he could have took a bit more from his final game at FAU.

“We (at FAU) played Northwestern in the NCAA tournament last year, and they out-physicaled us,” May recalled. “And we (at Michigan) didn’t work the way we needed to all summer (and) all fall.”

Michigan forward Will Tschetter is a staple in the rotation, and it’s not only because of his three-point prowess. Tschetter wears his heart on his sleeve on the court, and he seems to be the emotional leader of his squad.

🤩🤩 pic.twitter.com/dbEYY0UXtH

— Michigan Men’s Basketball (@umichbball) February 12, 2025

“Credit to our guys, they’ve adjusted, they’ve adapted, and Will Tschetter’s a big part of it,” May said. “When Will was cracking guys in practice and they were getting upset, I should’ve been saying, ‘no that’s the way it’s going to be, Will’s doing this because that’s what winning is going to take in this conference’.

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“We have humility in our program. When something’s not working or something’s not going well, it’s about all of us putting our heads together and finding the right way for this group to get it done.”

The Wolverines are set to visit Ohio State next on Feb. 16.

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