The Michigan Wolverine basketball program was the worst in all of the Big Ten in 2023-24. Going from the bottom of the league to winning the Big Ten Tournament in 2025 is an incredible turnaround for coach Dusty May and his team. The Wolverines faced similar issues all season, turnovers, slow second-half starts, and defensive lapses. They overcame these issues many times, winning 13 games by four or less. While it looked like a slow start in the second half would be too tough to overcome, Roddy Gayle (26 points) had other ideas and carried the Wolverines to a victory.

The Wolverines went into halftime facing a four-point deficit, nothing too insurmountable. Then they came out flat again and the Aggies' lead swelled to up to nine points within the first four minutes. The Wolverines had defensive lapses on transition plays, not stopping the ball, and overhelped on drives allowing multiple wide-open three-point shots. The Aggies got more aggressive on the offensive glass as well, securing second and third shots on many possessions. Coming out flat to start the second half almost doomed the Wolverines and is an ongoing issue they will need to acknowledge and address.

Aggies forward Pharrell Payne continued his hot streak in the tournament. After scoring 25 points and snaring 15 rebounds in the Aggies' first-round game against Yale, he was again unstoppable against the twin 7-footers of Michigan. Payne finished with 26 points, an admirable effort in what may end up being his final game as an Aggie. On the other side Vlad Goldin had a game himself. He scored 23 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, an impressive feat for a young man who has been maligned for not being a consistent rebounder. Golding remains the most consistent offensive threat for Coach May, he will need to continue this if the Wolverines want to make it past the Sweet Sixteen.

Gayle struggled all season, he was turnover-prone, and wildly inconsistent offensively. Today he left all of that behind him. Playing in just his second NCAA Tournament game, Gayle scored a career-high 26 points and made zero mistakes. His offense off the bench sparked the Wolverines' stagnant offense as they scored 91 points in a second-half explosion. Gayle showed one of the most unique things about this Wolverine team, anyone can get hot at any time and that makes them very dangerous in March.

The worst team in the Big Ten last year is now moving on to the Sweet Sixteen. An amazing feat that nobody expected coming into the year. Down 10 in the second half they seemed doomed until Gayle went off and drug them back into the lead. The Wolverines now face the winner of number one overall seed Auburn and Creighton. Win and advance.