The Michigan football and basketball programs could not have been on further ends of the spectrum in 2023, leading to Sherrone Moore and Dusty May getting hired as the school's two most prominent head coaches around the same time. Two years later, May is arguably the best coach in college basketball, while Moore's tenure has quickly gone up in flames.
Given the nature of Moore's firing, many have wondered how the chaotic situation has affected May, who has the undefeated No. 2-ranked Michigan looking like the best team in the country. He finally answered that question on Saturday, after the Wolverines' second Big Ten victory.
“I think there's always going to be distractions throughout the season,” May said, via MLive.com. “Our guys are focused. They enjoy practice. They enjoy all the things that go into finding a way to win games like this… It's been tough on everyone. It's partly our job to provide some hope and distraction from some of the things that happened.”
Moore was abruptly fired with cause on Dec. 10, due to reports of him having an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate staff member. He was arrested that same day and arraigned two days later, where it was revealed he allegedly stalked and broke into the woman's home after their relationship ended.
May noted that Michigan has been on the road since Friday, when Moore's initial court appearance occurred.
Michigan, Dusty May improve to 10-0 with win over Maryland
If the situation distracted May's team, it handled the adversity well against Maryland. Michigan left the Xfinity Center with a 101-83 victory to remain unbeaten and collect its seventh consecutive double-digit win.
The game was not always a blowout, as Maryland actually entered halftime with a 50-45 lead. However, everything changed when Terrapins star forward Pharrell Payne suffered a leg injury at the end of the first half. Payne began the day leading the team with 18.7 points per game.
Maryland suffered another blow when Solomon Washington got ejected early in the second half after receiving his second technical foul. That left Buzz Williams without two key starters against arguably the best team in the country.
Without Payne or Washington, Michigan dominated the paint the rest of the way. Yaxel Lendeborg took over in the second half to end with 29 points, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Aday Mara added 18 points on 8-for-10 shooting in just 18 minutes.
