Zach Braziller What everyone gets wrong about Michigan’s transfer-fueled March Madness run By Zach Braziller Published April 6, 2026, 7:30 p.m. ET Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May greets fans after their win against the Arizona Wildcats in a semifinal of the Final Four. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect INDIANAPOLIS — For weeks, Michigan’s accomplishments have been accompanied by criticism.
This team was bought, a group of mercenaries coming together for one year. The Wolverines, their detractors have said, are everything wrong with college basketball in the transfer portal and name, imagine and likeness era.
What has not been said is how difficult it is to build a team like this on the fly, and have so much success. If it was so easy, everyone would do it. Kentucky had the highest payroll in the sport, at a reported $20 million, and failed to advance past the first weekend of March Madness. Big-spending programs like Kansas State, Indiana and Auburn showed this year that money doesn’t buy victories.
Michigan entered Monday night’s national championship game with 36 wins in 39 games. The Wolverines won their five NCAA Tournament games by an average of 21.6 points. They have looked like one of the most dominant teams this century, and their KenPom rating is the second highest of all-time, behind only 1998-99 Duke. The database’s history goes back to 1997.
