Michigan basketball might have lost starters Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin, Tre Donaldson, and Rubin Jones, but the Wolverines have the chance to be even better in 2025-26. Head coach Dusty May was able to retain key veteran Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle, and Will Tschetter, along with rising sophomore LJ Cason.
But the key to Michigan’s success next season is because of landing the top-ranked transfer portal class. The Wolverines landed players like North Carolina’s Elliott Cadeau, Illinois’ Morez Johnson, and UCLA 7-footer Aday Mara. But the big fish in all of this was UAB’s Yaxel Lendeborg, who was the top-ranked transfer in the portal.
With the rotation Michigan will trot out next season, most analysts have the Wolverines as a top-five school entering the season. But not ESPN”s long-time college basketball analyst Dick Vitale. In his preseason ‘Dazzling Dozen’ top-12 preseason rankings, he ranked Michigan at No. 12 on the list.
Go Blue, baby! Michigan returns key players Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett, and adds transfers Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. The Wolverines are Sweet 16 veterans hungry for more.
So, basketball junkies, fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a season filled with Slam Jam Bam excitement! It’s awesome, baby!
– Dick Vitale
In Vitale’s write-up, he seemed to forget about Michigan landing Lendeborg. The 6-foot-9, do-it-all big man, could be right up there for the Big Ten Player of the Year when it is all said and done. Last season for UAB, he averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and over four assists per game. What Michigan and May did for Wolf was incredible in just one season, and with Lendeborg’s skillset, he could be a major riser on the draft boards next year.
Vitale’s top 12 teams were:
1. Purdue
2. Houston
3. Florida
4. UConn
5. St. John’s
6. Texas Tech
7. BYU
8. Arkansas
9. Duke
10. UCLA
11. Kentucky
12. Michigan
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