The Michigan Wolverines took a close and physical game from the Penn State Nittany Lions on Monday night. It was a game that head coach Dusty May felt came down to Michigan’s defensive intensity in a game where they were allowed to play physically.

After a two-year absence, Michigan is in strong position to return to the NCAA men’s basketball Tournament in 2025.

Purdue forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) reaches for the ball between the legs of Michigan center Vladislav Goldin (50) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in West Lafayette, Ind., Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy) AP

Michigan coach Dusty May was thoroughly impressed by the environment at Purdue's Mackey Arena on Friday night, calling it, "more impressive" than he thought.

Point guard Tre Donaldson wouldn't call his game-winning final sequence a season-saver, but he did call it a morale "booster" for the team.

Michigan coach Dusty May gave a lot of credit to Purdue's competitiveness on Friday night, saying the Boilermakers had a 'different look' vs. the Wolverines.

While it may be easier for Michigan to simply erase the Purdue loss from its memory, head coach Dusty May won't allow the team to do that.

“We’ve got to fix some things,” May said. “We’ve got to find some solutions to the problems that we face.”

Michigan basketball's Dusty May doesn't want any fines, but he was absolutely perplexed by the refereeing in Sunday's win vs. Northwestern.

Michigan coach Dusty May said his team failed to match Purdue's level of physicality in the blowout loss at Mackey Arena.

Michigan basketball head man Dusty May takes a subtle jab at the refs after a 30-minute overtime. The Wolverines were victorious, but many were questioning the refs after the extra round took over 30 minutes to complete.

May, when discussing the game, threw some big complements Painter's way as he previewed the matchup with the media.