Michigan basketball begins Big Ten tournament run against Purdue

Michigan men’s basketball has to win three games in three days to win the Big Ten tournament. The third-seeded Wolverines first take on No. 6 seed Purdue Friday night at 9 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. Michigan is seeking its first conference tournament title since 2018.

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Coming into the tournament on a three-game losing streak, the Wolverines haven’t been in top form as of late. Turnovers have hurt it all season, but earlier in the year Michigan was one of the most efficient shooting teams in the country. Recently, it’s been quite the opposite.

Head coach Dusty May said a slump is somewhat normal.

“If you look around the country and you study the recent success of teams, a lot of them went through a stretch like we did late in their seasons,” May said on Inside Michigan Basketball. “It’s the teams that can respond, regroup and find a way to knock down some shots and play with a high level of confidence.”

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While the Wolverines may have taken a step back at the end of the regular season, center Vladislav Goldin did not. The seven-footer was named as a first team All-Big Ten player this week by the media, and the coaches and Associated Press selected him for the second team.

Over the past seven games, Goldin has four double-doubles and is averaging 20.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.4 blocks per game. He said he’s looking forward to showing what Michigan can do.

“I’m excited as ever because it’s one of the best conferences and one of the best opportunities to show what we’re capable of,” Goldin said. “Every game is going to be hard.”

Over recent games, most of the Michigan turnovers have seemed to come from a lapse in judgement. A tournament can test a player’s mental ability just as much as their physical ability. Roddy Gayle Jr. said the Wolverines have what they need.

“It takes extreme toughness (to win a tournament),” Gayle Jr. said. “I feel like we’ve got a ton of veteran guys who’ve been in this scenario and have been very successful. To win three games in three different days, I feel like it takes a different kind of resilience, and I feel like that’s something our guys have.”

May is no stranger to doing well in conference tournaments. As head coach at Florida Atlantic, he won Conference USA in 2023 (regular season and tournament) and lost in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference tournament last season.

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May said it comes down to doing the little things well.

“You have to have a really sound mindset that you’re not going to beat yourself and make mistakes,” May said. “Then you have to play with confidence and really not beat yourself. You can’t shoot yourself in the foot with turnovers, you can’t have unnecessary fouls where you’re putting your better players on the bench, and it’s just like every other game.

“It’s 40 minutes long, (and) the team that stays together, weathers storms and makes shots when they need to, they’re going to win.”

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