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For Michigan's May, Tennessee's Barnes, Admiration Is Mutual with Teams Set to Meet in Elite Eight
Dusty May, who admires Rick Barnes' coaching success, leads No. 1 Michigan in a Midwest Regional Elite Eight clash with Tennessee for a Final Four spot.
- On Sunday, Michigan head coach Dusty May led his 34-3 team against Tennessee head coach Rick Barnes' 25-11 squad in an Elite Eight matchup in Chicago, with a Final Four berth on the line.
- May has long sought to replicate Barnes' program-building success, even adopting kombucha into his diet after learning it was his mentor's habit, according to former Tennessee athletics director Ryan Alpert.
- Former Ohio State roommates Roddy Gayle Jr. of Michigan and Felix Okpara of Tennessee face off after two years together; Tennessee's Nate Ament returned from an ankle injury to bolster the frontcourt.
- Barnes ranks second among active Division I coaches with 861 career wins yet seeks his first NCAA championship title after reaching six Elite Eights across his coaching tenure.
- Physicality defines the matchup as May's squad features a frontcourt trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr., constructed around defensive intensity to counter Tennessee's offensive rebounding strength.
14 Articles
14 Articles
Associated Press News
For Michigan's May, Tennessee's Barnes, admiration is mutual with teams set to meet in Elite Eight
Dusty May leads Michigan into an Elite Eight matchup against Rick Barnes and Tennessee. The last time the two coaches were on opposite sidelines, May led Florida Atlantic to a win in the Sweet 16 as part of a stunning Final Four run three years ago.
Dusty May's everlasting admiration of Rick Barnes and their Elite Eight showdown
CHICAGO — Dusty May only incorporated kombucha into his diet after finding out it was Rick Barnes’ drink of choice. Barnes, now the coach of No. 6 seed Tennessee, has been a coach at nine different Division I programs. As head coach at his last five stops, he’s been to 30 NCAA Tournaments, won five conference titles and appeared in six Elite Eights, the last three of which have been consecutive at the ages of 69, 70 and 71. He’s the definition o…
Ja'Kobi Gillespie shares thoughts ahead of Elite Eight matchup: 'We have a chance to prove ourselves'
For the fourth time in as many seasons, Rick Barnes and the Tennessee Volunteers have found themselves in the Elite 8 and just 1 win away from their first Final 4 appearance in program history. The Vols knocked out the No. 2 seed in the Midwest region, Iowa State, on Friday in the Sweet 16, and they will have to find a way through the top-seeded Michigan Wolverines if they want to capture that elusive Final 4. Senior Tennessee guard Ja’Kobi Gill…
Hoops Preview: Tennessee, Elite Eight
Hoops Preview: Tennessee, Elite Eight March 28th, 2026 at 7:20 PM Brian March 28th, 2026 at 7:20 PM [Marc-Gregor Campredon] THE ESSENTIALSWHAT#1 Michigan (34-3, 19-1 B10) vs#11 Tennessee (25-11, 11-7 SEC) WHEREVenue By 4M ArenaChicago, IL WHEN2:15 PM SundayTHE LINEKenpom: M -7Torvik: M -6TELEVISIONCBSPBP: Andrew CatalonColor: Steve LappasTHE OVERVIEWAnd now for something completely different.Michigan's next opponent is also an SEC team but, as …
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