For Michigan’s May, Tennessee’s Barnes, admiration is mutual with teams set to meet in Elite Eight

CHICAGO (AP) — Michigan’s Dusty May looked at the highlights of his most recent meeting against Tennessee, back when he was coaching Florida Atlantic.

The Owls beat Tennessee in the Sweet 16 three years ago as part of a stunning run to the Final Four. This time, May leads Michigan (34-3) into an Elite Eight matchup against the Volunteers (25-11) on Sunday.

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“It’s shocking how physical they are in a good way, how hard they play, how active they are with their hands,” May said. “It’s very difficult to throw a direct pass anywhere on the court because of their effort. Obviously, their size, athleticism factors into that. So, yeah, it was a good reminder to watch that edit because some things definitely popped back into my head to be aware of.”

It’s fair to say May is a fan of Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. And Barnes feels the same way about him.

“There are so many guys that are talked about that could have been great basketball coaches,” Barnes said. “You get that chance and obviously, Dusty did a great job. Then he gets one of the great jobs in the country. He believes in what he believes in. You watch his teams play, there’s a definite trait there that you understand what is important to him. It’s a winning formula. He stays with it.”

The top seed in the Midwest Region, Michigan has its sights set on its ninth trip to the Final Four and first since losing to Villanova in the 2018 championship game under John Beilein.

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With All-American Yaxel Lendeborg leading the way, the Wolverines set a program record for single-season wins. They dominated the Big Ten during the regular season, only to lose to Purdue in the conference tournament final two weeks ago at the United Center.

Michigan regrouped in the NCAA by beating Howard, Saint Louis and Alabama, scoring at least 90 points in each game. Now, the Wolverines hope to celebrate in Chicago.

Vols seek first Final Four

Sixth-seeded Tennessee beat Iowa State 76-62 on Friday night to advance to the…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/michigans-may-tennessees-barnes-admiration-004700169.html

Author : ANDREW SELIGMAN

Publish date : 2026-03-29 00:47:00

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