Michigan’s offense wants to run, that’s the way Dusty May likes it

Big Ten basketball’s reputation precedes itself: Slow, grinded out, half-court dominated games are the norm, while fast-paced shootouts are a scoring-inclined fan’s luxury. But first-year Michigan men’s basketball coach Dusty May likes to play fast, and he’s not going to let opposing team’s dictate his pace.

May has tailored his team specifically to how he wants to play. With just three returners from last season, he had a clean slate to craft a roster that will thrive in his system — a system that moves quickly. When asked at Big Ten Media Days Oct. 3 if his team could get out and run, his answer was simple and convincing:

“There’s no question.”

May’s offensive style at Florida Atlantic was reminiscent of Jay Wright’s Villanova squads that dominated college basketball in the late 2010’s. He wants to get out in transition, and if there isn’t an easy bucket at the rim or a wide open 3-pointer, then he wants to pull the ball back out to the perimeter and set up a 4-out-1-in offense. 

Not too many Big Ten opponents match that scheme very closely. And in a conference with a dominant play style antithetical to May’s preferred style, staying within the offense and using the opponent’s scheme against them is key to consistency. 

“We simply tried to rebound the ball and get up the floor before those physical, tough defenses could get set,” May said of his experience coaching against Big Ten opponents. “And if we did that, then we felt like our chances of scoring would be greater.”

Playing quick and seeking a good look early in the shot clock is a good scheme in theory, but it requires a specific personnel. Namely, players with speed at all positions and no shortage of shooters — May has that. But that personnel also limits some ability to hang in more grinded out games. As long as the Wolverines can just play their game, though, May isn’t concerned.

“We have to find a way to get the ball up the floor quickly enough before the defense gets set where we can generate a good shot and we’re not having to get into a bunch of slugfest,” May said. “Because I’m not sure we’re built for a slugfest right now.”

Last season under former coach Juwan Howard, Michigan averaged 72.9 points per game, good for 11th in the conference and 193rd in the country. May’s Owls, on the other hand, scored 82 points per game, sitting at 18th in the country. 

Granted, the Wolverines were playing against power five opponents while FAU was up against American Athletic Conference opponents, a big difference when it comes to competition. But the near-10 point difference in points per game is far more than can be accounted for by competition differential alone. Faster play equals more shots, and more shots tend to equal more points. Last season in conference play, Michigan hoisted an average of 56.6 shots a game, whereas the Owls shot 63.

It’s a new season with a new roster and a new team for May, but he’s not planning on changing his offensive philosophy. Even with two seven-footers roaming the paint, he still wants to get out and go.

“Coach May has had a four guard lineup for the past years at FAU, and that’s gonna be a little different this year, obviously,” junior forward Danny Wolf, one of the aforementioned seven-footers, said. “But still really fast paced. (May) wants to get up and down, wants to go.”

May’s reputation as a coach on the offensive side is that he likes to run, and that doesn’t appear to have changed since he’s arrived in Ann Arbor. But in the Big Ten, he’ll be in the minority, surrounded by teams that thrive in games where the winning team’s points often reside in the 60’s. Although games like that are inevitable in the Big Ten, May doesn’t want to live there. He wants to run.

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