The college basketball season starts tonight for Dusty May and the Michigan Wolverines. For my final preview story ahead of the 2025-26 season, I thought it would be fun to predict every regular season, which
goes from Nov. 3 to March 8.
Here are those predictions — make sure to save this piece so you can laugh at how wrong I probably am. Also, make sure to drop your own predictions in the comments below
Monday, Nov. 3: Oakland (Crisler Center): Win
Michigan starts the season against the longest tenured coach in the sport in Greg Kampe. Oakland is known for its zone defense, but the Wolverines have enough good passers to navigate that. I think they win this one easily.
Tuesday, Nov. 11: vs. Wake Forest (Detroit, Mich.): Win
This was the first game Michigan lost last season, and I think the Wolverines get revenge this year. Wake Forest is good enough to be an NCAA Tournament team, so winning this one would be key for Michigan’s resume.
Friday, Nov. 14: at TCU (Fort Worth, Texas): Win
This first road test of the season will be a tough one against a good coach in Jamie Dixon. I’ll predict Michigan wins this game by two points.
Wednesday, Nov. 19: Middle Tennessee (Crisler Center): Win
Hopefully Michigan can avoid falling to Middle Tennessee like Michigan State did a decade ago.
Monday, Nov. 24: vs. San Diego State (Las Vegas, Nev.): Win
This should be a fun game for Brian Dutcher, who coached at Michigan as an associate head coach for a decade under Steve Fisher and was on the staff when Michigan last won a national championship. SDSU is going to make this a rock fight with its defense, but I think Michigan has the size to win games like that.
Tuesday, Nov. 25: vs. Auburn (Las Vegas, Nev.): Win
Michigan is going to come into this game hungry wanting to get some revenge after falling to Auburn in the Sweet Sixteen last season. Tahaad Pettiford is one of the best guards in the country, but when you combine the revenge factor with Auburn having a new coach and losing a lot of talent from last year’s squad, I like Michigan to squeak out a close one.
Wednesday or Thursday, Nov. 26 or 27: vs. TBD (Las Vegas, Nev.) TBD
Going to skip this one since we don’t know who the Wolverines will face yet. For the purposes of the final record at the end of this article, I’ll mark this as a win.
Saturday, Dec. 6: vs Rutgers: Win
This is not the same Rutgers team that had two Top-5 NBA picks in its starting lineup, and even that team wasn’t very good. I think Michigan wins this game handily.
Tuesday, Dec. 9: Villanova (Crisler Center): Win
Michigan fans should be pumped for this one after Villanova destroyed Michigan in the National Championship in 2018. I think Michigan gets some more revenge and wins this one by double digits.
Saturday, Dec. 13: at Maryland: Loss
Michigan will be riding high going into this game and will be a Top-5 team in the country if it is 9-0. That said, the Xfinity Center is a tough place to play, Buzz Williams is a good coach and Maryland has a lot of talent coming in the portal. I think Michigan drops a close one on the road.
Sunday, Dec. 21: LaSalle (Crisler Center): Win
These games are always tougher than they look on paper. Michigan’s student body will be on winter break, so it will be a sleepy environment. Upsets are bound to happen in games like this, but I like Michigan to take care of business.
Monday, Dec. 29: McNeese (Crisler Center): Win
This isn’t the same McNeese team that Will Wade led. I think Michigan wins by two dozen.
Friday, Jan. 2: USC: Win
This is a good USC roster, and it will be a homecoming for Terrance Williams II, who played for three seasons in Ann Arbor. I think Michigan wins after Nimari Burnett catches fire from three late, pulling out a six-point win.
Tuesday, Jan. 6: at Penn State: Win
Road games in the Big Ten are never gimmes, but I don’t think Penn State is very good. I expect Michigan to win easily.
Saturday, Jan. 10: vs Wisconsin: Loss
This is a good Wisconsin team led by head coach Greg Gard and a All-Big Ten caliber wing in John Blackwell. I think Michigan loses a tight one for its second loss of the season.
Wednesday, Jan. 14: at Washington: Win
I was really impressed when Michigan won both games on the West Coast road trip last year. I like Michigan to win a tight one over Washington, but I’m not as confident about the next game.
Saturday, Jan. 17: at Oregon: Loss
This Oregon team is good, man. Nate Bittle can go toe-to-toe with Michigan’s big men, Jackson Shelstad is a bucket and Dana Altman is a great coach. I think Michigan falls by nearly double digits.
Tuesday, Jan. 20: vs Indiana: Win
This game kicks off a much needed home stretch. I think Michigan kicks it off with a win over an Indiana team with a new coach in Darian DeVries.
Friday, Jan. 23: vs Ohio State: Win
You thought I was going to pick against Michigan vs Ohio State on the night Trey Burke is getting honored? Think again.
Tuesday, Jan. 27: vs Nebraska: Win
Rienk Mast will be a tough cover, and Nebraska just beat No. 8 BYU in an exhibition. This will be a tough game, but I think Michigan wins a tight one.
Friday, Jan. 30: at Michigan State: Loss
May has yet to beat Michigan State since coming to Michigan, and I think that streak continues in East Lansing.
Thursday, Feb. 5: vs Penn State: Win
I think Penn State will be bad, so I like Michigan to win again.
Sunday, Feb. 8: at Ohio State: Loss
Jake Diebler is a good coach and he’s slowly but surely turning Ohio State around. This game should have NCAA Tournament resume implications, so I think Ohio State wins a close one.
Wednesday, Feb. 11: at Northwestern: Win
I don’t think this Michigan team will have many back-to-back losses, which is why I like it to win this one.
Sunday, Feb. 14: UCLA: Win
This game kicks off what is probably the toughest stretch on Michigan’s schedule. UCLA is supposed to be really good, but so is Michigan. Calling my shot now, I like Michigan to win on a Yaxel Lendeborg buzzer-beater.
Wednesday, Feb. 17: at Purdue: Loss
Purdue is a juggernaut and Mackey Arena is one of the toughest places to play. This was perhaps the ugliest loss for Michigan last season, and I think it loses by double digits again.
Saturday, Feb. 21: vs. Duke (Washington, D.C.): Loss
This will be a good test for Michigan a month ahead of the tournament. Duke should be good again and is used to playing big time non-conference matchups. I think Duke wins a tight one for Michigan’s first two-game losing streak of the season.
Wednesday, Feb. 24: vs Minnesota: Win
This has all the makings of a trap game with the tough stretch ahead, but Minnesota isn’t very good. I like Michigan to win handily.
Saturday, Feb. 27: at Illinois: Win
This kicks off a tough three-game stretch to close out the season. Illinois is deep just like Michigan, but the Wolverines should be rounding into form. I think Michigan wins a tight one because May is, in my opinion, a much better in-game coach than Brad Underwood.
Thursday, March 5: at Iowa: Loss
Coming off a tough Illinois win and with MSU on the horizon, I think Michigan falls by a few buckets here. I like Iowa to be the surprise team of the Big Ten with two Drake products in head coach Ben McCollum and guard Bennett Stirtz leading the way.
Sunday, March 8: vs Michigan State: Win
I like Michigan to end the season on a high note and get one more good win on its resume heading into the Big Ten Tournament. If Michigan wins, this will be May’s first victory over MSU.
Final Record: 23-8, one win better than last season. This record would also be 13-7 in conference play, one game worse in the Big Ten than last season.
