For the first time in seven years, a highly respected head coach left college basketball for the NBA.
That man is Dusty May, who will be leading the Dallas Mavericks during this upcoming 2026-27 NBA season.Â
May just won the national championship with Michigan in April, so speculation about the rationale for this change will likely continue for several weeks. (For my money, I’m guessing it’s garden-variety fatigue with the general state of college athletics.)
Regardless, Michigan now finds itself in the middle of a shocking, out-of-cycle coaching change. The Wolverines will likely tap assistant coach Mike Boynton to coach the team this fall – what else are you supposed to do in late June? – but a long-term search will likely take place over the next year, either formally or informally.Â
In the online sports betting corner of the world, Michigan had to be adjusted after losing its championship coach. In BetMGM’s college basketball national championship odds for 2027, Michigan was (understandably) among the top contenders expected for next season.Â
And though the sportsbook hasn’t seen much volume yet for next year’s March Madness odds, Michigan does lead the market at BetMGM with 15.4% of all tickets for next year’s championship.
Michigan slid from +700 to +900 on the news of May’s departure, with adjacent teams like Florida and Duke taking even smaller adjustments in the other direction.Â
Florida, which won the 2025 national championship, remains the favorite – now at +600.
Curiously, Michigan State is currently the fourth-most popular team at BetMGM, collecting more than 6% of all tickets at a midrange (+1800) price point.Â
This Michigan Story Is Only Just Beginning
Bettors will want to keep their eyes on Michigan, since May’s departure probably isn’t the final domino to fall in this saga.Â
With May leaving the team, players will now have an opportunity to make an off-schedule entrance into the Transfer Portal and leave the Michigan program.Â
One or two key offseason losses – especially for a team that’s already losing a lot of upperclassmen to graduation and the NBA – could completely take Michigan out of the running in the Big Ten. The outright odds could slide a lot further than 9-to-1.
That’s one obvious reason the administration is likely trying to replace May with an internal hire from within the program. Not only is it easier, but a move within the family, so to speak, helps keep everyone in place for the upcoming season.
If that plan fails, and the Wolverines are removed from the list of primary championship contenders, expect a much bigger Michigan basketball odds shift that reshapes the top of the board for next season.
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