The 2025–26 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team represented the University of Michigan during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. It was the program's 110th season and 109th consecutive year as a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Wolverines were led by second-year head coach Dusty May and played their home games at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
On December 8, Michigan achieved the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches poll for the first time since the Fab Five-led 1992–93 Wolverines, and on February 16, Michigan earned the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll for the first time since the 2012–13 Wolverines. On February 24, Michigan clinched a share of the 2026 Big Ten regular season championship against Minnesota, and secured the outright Big Ten championship against Illinois on February 27. It was the Wolverines' first since the 2021 Big Ten regular season championship.
Michigan finished the regular season 29–2, and 19–1 in the conference. Their 29 regular-season wins are a program record, and their 19 conference wins are a Big Ten record. The conference wins surpassed the previous program record of 16 wins by the 1976–77 and 1984–85 Wolverines, and surpassed the previous Big Ten record set by the 1974–75 and 1975–76 Indiana Hoosiers (18–0). Michigan is the only Big Ten team to have ever won all ten conference road games, and the first to finish undefeated on the road since the 1975–76 Hoosiers. It was also the first Michigan team to defeat rival Ohio State three times in the same season.
In the 2026 NCAA tournament, Michigan made the Sweet Sixteen for an NCAA-leading ninth time in the last thirteen NCAA tournaments and set a program-record (and tied the 2004–05 Illinois Fighting Illini for the Big Ten record) for single-season wins, 37, as they won the national championship against UConn. Michigan surpassed the previous single-season wins record of 33 by John Beilein and the 2017–18 Wolverines. They became the first team to score at least 90 points in five games in a single NCAA tournament, and held their last four opponents to season-lows in field goal percentage.
It was the second national title in program history and the first since 1989. Michigan became the first Big Ten team to win the national title since their rival Michigan State in 2000. Michigan also joined the Florida Gators and Michigan State Spartans as the only programs to win multiple national championships in both basketball and football, and became the first program since Florida in 2008 to win a national title in each sport within three academic years.
Previous season The Wolverines finished the 2024–25 season with a 27–10 record, 14–6 in conference play to finish the regular season tied for second place. As the No. 3 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they defeated Purdue in the quarterfinal, Maryland in the semifinal, and Wisconsin in the final, winning their first Big Ten tournament championship since 2018. The Wolverines received the Big Ten's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the South Region, where they defeated UC San Diego, and Texas A&M to advance to their sixth Sweet Sixteen in the last eight NCAA tournaments. In the regional semifinal, they lost to the No. 1 overall seed Auburn.
Offseason On March 24, 2025, guard Justin Pippen entered the NCAA transfer portal. He did not play or travel with the Wolverines in the postseason. Pippen transferred to the Cal Golden Bears. On March 31, forward Jace Howard entered the transfer portal after five seasons with Michigan and forward Sam Walters entered after one season with the program. Howard would transfer to the Fordham Rams and Walters to the SMU Mustangs. That same day, the Wolverines received their first transfer portal commitment from junior Elliot Cadeau, a point guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels. As a sophomore, Cadeau averaged 9.4 points per game and was second in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with 6.2 assists per game. He was a former five-star recruit in high school and started 68 games in his first two collegiate seasons. On April 1, point guard Tre Donaldson entered the transfer portal. He started all 37 games for the Wolverines in his lone season with the program. Donaldson would transfer to the Miami Hurricanes. That same day, Michigan received its second transfer portal commitment from sophomore forward Morez Johnson Jr. of the Illinois Fighting Illini. He started eight games as a freshman.
On April 5, the top-rated player in the transfer portal, forward Yaxel Lendeborg from the UAB Blazers, committed to the Wolverines as the third incoming transfer. He also entered the 2025 NBA draft process in addition to transferring. Last season Lendeborg became one of only two players in NCAA Division I history to record over 600 points, 400 rebounds and 150 assists in a single season, joining legend Larry Bird, and won the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for a second consecutive season. He also led the NCAA with 26 double-doubles last season, averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game. On April 9, guard Phat Phat Brooks entered the transfer portal, Michigan's fifth player to do so. Brooks transferred to the Central Michigan Chippewas. On April 11, the Wolverines secured their fourth incoming transfer commitment, junior Aday Mara, a 7'3" Spanish center from the UCLA Bruins.
On April 16, junior power forward Danny Wolf announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and declared for the 2025 NBA draft. On April 21, shooting guard Nimari Burnett announced he would return for his final season after being granted a sixth year of eligibility. On May 27, Lendeborg withdrew from the NBA draft and chose to play his final season of college basketball in Ann Arbor. Lendeborg, Johnson and Mara had all played center the previous season.
Departures Michigan departures Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure 50 C 7'1" 250 GS Nalchik, Russia Declared for NBA draft: undrafted, signed with Miami Heat 15 G 6'5" 190 GS Houston, Texas Graduated 7 F 6'7" 215 GS Miami, Florida Transferred to Fordham 14 G 6'6" 205 Sr Winnetka, Illinois Graduated 1 F / C 7'0" 250 Jr Glencoe, Illinois Declared for NBA draft: drafted by Brooklyn Nets 3 G 6'3" 195 Jr Tallahassee, Florida Transferred to Miami 24 F 6'10" 200 So The Villages, Florida Transferred to SMU 10 G 6'3" 180 Fr Chatsworth, California Transferred to California 8 G 6'2" 190 Fr Grand Rapids, Michigan Transferred to Central Michigan
Incoming transfers Michigan incoming transfersNameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious Team 3 G 6'1" 180 Jr West Orange, New Jersey North Carolina 21 F 6'9" 255 So Riverdale, Illinois Illinois 3 F 6'9" 240 GS Pennsauken Township, New Jersey UAB 15 C 7'3" 240 Jr Zaragoza, Spain UCLA
Recruiting classes 2025 recruiting class On October 18, 2024, Michigan landed its first class of 2025 recruit, Winters Grady of Prolific Prep in Napa, California. At the time of his commitment, the four-star Tualatin, Oregon native was ranked No. 83 in the 2025 national class by 247Sports. On October 23, Michigan received their second commitment from New Zealand native Oscar Goodman, who was the 2023 FIBA Under-16 Asian Championship MVP and a 2024 FIBA Under-17 Basketball World Cup All-Tournament first team selection. He was rated as a top 100, four-star player by On3, but unrated by 247Sports at the time of his commitment. On November 9, the Wolverines earned their third commitment from Flint, Michigan native and five-star guard from St. Mary's Preparatory, Trey McKenney. McKenney won a gold medal and started every game for the United States national team in the 2024 FIBA Under-18 AmeriCup in Argentina. At the time of his commitment, he was ranked as the No. 16 overall player in the country by ESPN and No. 19 in 247Sports' composite rankings. All three players officially signed their national letter of intent during the early signing period in November 2024.
On January 7, 2025, Goodman enrolled early, joining the 2024–25 Michigan basketball team midseason. As a result of him graduating in November 2024, based on the New Zealand academic calendar, he would remain a member of Michigan's 2025 recruiting class. He used the season to redshirt and was limited to practice only. On January 27, McKenney was named a 2025 McDonald's All-American. He was the first Michigan signee to be selected since Moussa Diabaté, Caleb Houstan and Kobe Bufkin in 2021. On May 16, Michigan received their fourth commitment in the 2025 class from forward Ricky Liburd, whom flipped from his commitment to play for Coastal Carolina. He attended Sagemont School near his hometown of Hollywood, Florida, and was ranked as a three-star recruit by 247Sports. On June 13, the Wolverines received their fifth commitment from 7'1" center Malick Kordel from Oberhausen, Germany. He played for the Frankfurt Skyliners junior team before moving to the United States for college basketball at age 21.
2026 recruiting class
Roster
Regular season November Oakland On November 3, Michigan began the season with a 121–78 victory over Oakland, winning a 23rd consecutive season-opening game. For the first time in program history, seven Wolverines scored in double figures. Michigan was led by Morez Johnson Jr. with a career-high 24 points, while Aday Mara had 12 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks; his first double-double of the season. Five others scored in double figures, including freshman Trey McKenney scoring 21 points in his collegiate debut on 6-of-8 three-point shooting, Will Tschetter with 16 points, Nimari Burnett with 14 points, Yaxel Lendeborg added 12 points, and Roddy Gayle Jr. had 11 points. Elliot Cadeau added a career-high 14 assists in his debut. Michigan scored a program-record 69 points in the first half, shooting 71% from the field and surpassing the previous record of 66 points set by the 1987–88 Wolverines against Eastern Michigan. The 121 points were the most scored since the 1989–90 Wolverines scored 127 against Iowa, and marked the sixth time in program history eclipsing 120 points in a game. The Wolverines finished shooting 64% from the field, tied a program-record with 19 made three-point shots (on 35 attempts: 54%), committed only eight turnovers, and had 55 bench points.
Wake Forest On November 11, Michigan defeated Wake Forest, 85–84 in overtime, during the Deacon-Wolverine Challenge at Little Caesars Arena. Michigan was led by Mara with 18 points, and career-highs 13 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks; his second double-double of the season. Cadeau had 17 points, a career-high eight rebounds, and seven assists, surpassing 200 career rebounds and 400 career assists. Gayle Jr. had 13 points, and Johnson Jr. added ten points and eight rebounds. With 13 rebounds, Mara surpassed 200 for his career. Michigan led by 13 at halftime, but started 0-for-12 on three-point attempts in the second half, allowing Wake Forest to tie the game and force overtime. Cadeau scored or assisted on all five of Michigan's overtime points.
TCU On November 14, Michigan defeated TCU, 67–63. Michigan was led by double-double performances from Lendeborg with 14 points and ten rebounds, and Johnson Jr. with ten points and 12 rebounds. McKenney scored 11 points and Gayle Jr. added ten points and six assists. With his ten rebounds, Lendeborg surpassed 800 in his NCAA Division I career.
Middle Tennessee