For Michigan's May, Tennessee's Barnes, admiration is mutual with teams set to meet in Elite Eight
CHICAGO (AP) — Michigan's Dusty May looked at the highlights of his most recent meeting against Tennessee, back when he was coaching Florida Atlantic. The Owls beat Tennessee in the Sweet 16 three years ago as part of a stunning run to the Final Four. This time, May leads Michigan (34-3) into an Elite Eight matchup against the Volunteers (25-11) on Sunday.
“It’s shocking how physical they are in a good way, how hard they play, how active they are with their hands," May said. "It’s very difficult to throw a direct pass anywhere on the court because of their effort. Obviously, their size, athleticism factors into that.
So, yeah, it was a good reminder to watch that edit because some things definitely popped back into my head to be aware of. ” It's fair to say May is a fan of Tennessee coach Rick Barnes. And Barnes feels the same way about him.
“There are so many guys that are talked about that could have been great basketball coaches,” Barnes said. "You get that chance and obviously, Dusty did a great job. Then he gets one of the great jobs in the country.
He believes in what he believes in. You watch his teams play, there’s a definite trait there that you understand what is important to him. It’s a winning formula.
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