As the NCAA Bracket takes shape after Selection Sunday, Michigan head coach Dusty May was in a playful mood with one particular aspect of the NCAA Tournament Draw involving 8 other NCAA teams.

The Big Ten Conference is one of the more stacked ones in the NCAA, and the current season sees 9 teams from the said conference enter the Main Draw. With the Big Ten sending a formidable nine teams to the tournament for just the third time in history, the conference schedule is a gauntlet. Michigan has been given the one seed in the Midwest Region and is unlikely to meet any other Big Ten team until deep into the bracket.

“Thankfully, we avoid all the Big Ten teams until later on. We’re tired of seeing those guys,” said May.

The Michigan Wolverines may have won the Big Ten regular-season title. But the Purdue Boilermakers handed them a reality check in the Big Ten Tournament Final. In fact, Michigan only lost twice to conference opponents the entire season, with the other loss coming early in conference play against Wisconsin.

Familiarity might help other Big Ten teams counter them effectively, which made the bracket reveal an even more important aspect for the team and fans. With no Big Ten teams likely to bump into Michigan before the Final Four, the Wolverines could surprise other top teams on their side of the bracket.

Dusty May described Big Ten gameplay as ‘prison ball,’ highlighting the intense physicality involved in Big Ten games. And while Michigan has shown incredible toughness this season, its current season is a statistical anomaly for the Big Ten. The Michigan Wolverines became the first team in 50 years to be undefeated on the road in the entire conference play (10-0) in the regular season.

To add to it, Purdue, which wasn’t even a top 4 team in the Big Ten regular season, ended up beating powerhouses Michigan, UCLA, and Nebraska on its way to the Big Ten Championship. Purdue’s run displays the level of competitiveness in the Big Ten.

But Dusty May & co. could have other worries on their road to the Final Four, according to the Midwest NCAA bracket.

Dusty May calls for bench consistency ahead of the NCAA Tournament

While the loss to Purdue was only Michigan’s third of the 2025-26 season, it was the first time head coach Dusty May felt the absence of sophomore guard L.J. Cason. The 19-year-old last played in the win over Illinois, with Michigan playing the entire Big Ten Tournament without Cason. Cason’s ACL injury might even rule him out for the entire 2026-27 season.

In the Purdue game, Michigan’s bench contributed just 8 of the 72 points they scored against the Boilermakers. In fact, over the entire Big Ten Tournament, the bench has been scoring below 14 points per game, which is a dangerous statistic for a team with title aspirations.

And Dusty May highlighted the same ahead of the NCAA Tournament. May said, “Our second unit hasn’t been as good since he’s (Cason) gone out. So this is an opportunity for them to pick up the slack. We’ve just got to get back to playing good ball. I don’t think it’s one thing.”

The bench will have to step up in the NCAA Tournament, especially when Dusty May & co. face teams like Georgia or Alabama in the Midwest bracket. Trey McKenney has been the highest contributor from the bench recently, and May hopes others can replicate those numbers to beef up their bench numbers to allow their starters more rest during the game.