The UM Hoops Podcast

Dive deep into the world of Michigan basketball with expert analysis, in-depth stats, and behind-the-scenes insights. Hosted by Dylan Burkhardt, founder of UMHoops.com, and joined every Monday by basketball analyst Eric Shapiro (@eric_shap), we break down all the action from the Wolverines' season. Mid-week episodes feature a rotating lineup of special guests, friends of the pod, and experts from across the Big Ten and college basketball landscape.

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Sports
Basketball
1
What we make of Dusty May's contract extension,...
It has been an eventful few days since the last pod. Dylan and Eric discuss Dusty May's contract extension and Michigan's last two games, then dive into some big-picture thoughts on Michigan's offense and defense. The Wolverines keep winning, but the offensive output has lagged, especially on Monday night at Nebraska. To wrap things up, the conversation pivots to the Big Ten race, where Michigan and Michigan State are tangled at the top.
63 min
2
Michigan State at Michigan Preview
Michigan and Michigan State are set to clash in the most significant in-state rivalry clash since 2019. Dylan and Eric break down the game on each side of the ball, starting with Michigan State's offense against Michigan's defense and wrapping up with Michigan's offense against Michigan State's defense. They hit on the keys to the game, how Michigan State will defend the big-to-big ball screen, and what it will take for either side to come out on top.
48 min
3
Roddy Gayle Jr. returns to Ohio State, Danny Wo...
For the second weekend in a row, Michigan had a happy homecoming for a key contributor. This time, it was Roddy Gayle Jr.'s triumphant return to Ohio State, as Michigan extended its winning streak to six. Dylan and Eric discuss Gayle's late-game impact, Michigan's interior dominance, the big-to-big ball screen, and a disappointing defensive effort. Then, they wrap things up with a look ahead to Michigan State on Friday and a discussion about close games and execution.
75 min
4
Michigan avenges Purdue loss, takes over first ...
Michigan made its move and overtook Purdue in the Big Ten standings on Tuesday night, knocking the Boilermakers off 75-73. Dylan and Eric recap the win, explain how the Wolverines avenged the blowout loss in West Lafayette, and then break down what remains of the Big Ten title race.
70 min
5
Dusty May returns to Indiana, Danny Wolf domina...
It was an eventful week for Michigan which capped things off with a 70-67 win at Indiana, stretching the winning streak to four games. Dylan and Eric discuss what happened at Indiana, why Michigan led throughout, Danny Wolf's dominance, why Indiana came back, what to make of Dusty May's ties to the Indiana job opening and then look ahead to a huge game against Purdue on Tuesday.
73 min
6
Previewing Michigan-Indiana with Alex Bozich
Michigan heads to Bloomington on Saturday to face an Indiana team in disarray. Inside the Hall's Alex Bozich joins the show to talk about the Hoosiers, what's gone wrong, what Saturday's environment will be like and whether there's any chance that Mike Woodson can turn things around.
47 min
7
Michigan sticks in Big Ten race with another cl...
Dylan and Eric recap Michigan's Saturday win at Rutgers. The Wolverines moved to 8-2 in Big Ten play with the victory as they won yet another close game. Today's show recaps the defensive strategy on Ace Bailey, Tre Donaldson's strong performance, rebounding and turnover issues (again), Michigan's bench stepping up and more.
61 min
8
Responding to a dip in form
Michigan's dip in form continued with a blowout loss at Purdue and a narrow win over Penn State. Dylan and Eric break down concerns about the recent results, what's happening with the 4-5 pick and roll, why Danny Wolf is struggling, Michigan's 2-point shooting regression, turnovers, and more.
70 min
9
Previewing Michigan-Purdue with Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson joins the pod to preview Friday night's battle between Michigan and Purdue at Mackey Arena. The conversation hinges on both ball screen attacks -- Danny Wolf with Vlad Goldin and Braden Smith with Trey Kaufman-Renn. We start out by outlining what makes each two-man game so dangerous before hypothesizing how each team might try to do to slow down the other.
58 min
10
Fixing Michigan? What issues are real and match...
Dylan and Eric discuss Michigan's last two overtime games against Minnesota and Northwestern. The conversation starts with what Northwestern did so well defensively and whether that will translate to other games. Then they dive into Vlad Goldin's improvement, Michigan's physicality and 2-point struggles, Roddy Gayle Jr., Tre Donaldson and more.
64 min
11
A deep dive into Danny Wolf's rise with No Ceil...
Maxwell Baumbach from No Ceilings joins the pod to discuss Danny Wolf's improvement. Baumbach wrote about Wolf for his No Stone Unturned offseason series that highlights NBA Draft sleepers. Baumbach adds a unique perspective as someone who studied Wolf's tape at Yale and is still wowed by some of what the 7-footer is doing on the floor in Michigan. To wrap up, we discuss the pro outlook of some other Wolverines and hit on a few NBA prospects from around the Big Ten.
49 min
12
Mailbag Pod! Defending the 4-5 ball screen, Nim...
Dylan and Eric break down Michigan's Sunday afternoon win over Washington and then dive into mailbag questions that hit on Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr., Dusty May's roster-building strategy, role definition, defensive ups and downs, and more.
84 min
13
Michigan is a Big Ten Title Contender
Michigan knocked off USC and UCLA in Los Angeles, proving it is a legitimate contender in the Big Ten race. Dylan and Eric recap the win over UCLA and what it says about the progress that Dusty May and his team have made in the first year. The conversation hits on Tre Donaldson's clutch shot-making, turnovers, run prevention and response, and much more.
73 min
14
Big Ten Contender Draft with Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson joins the pod for a Big Ten contender draft. Joe and Dylan draft their favorite conference title contenders to create a top-six in the league and discuss why each team could win the conference or why they might not.
80 min
15
Non-conference recap, roster reset and Big Ten ...
With non-conference play officially in the books, Dylan and Eric examine the Wolverines through two months and assess whether they can compete for a Big Ten title, before going player-by-player through the roster to evaluate who has exceeded expectations individually.
72 min
16
Defensive concerns vs. Arkansas, first-half slu...
Dylan and Eric recap the loss against Arkansas, focusing on the defense. Then, they dive into more conversations about turnovers, rebounding, Danny Wolf, and the rotation before setting the stage for Wednesday's game against Oklahoma and answering mailbag questions.
85 min
17
Rapid Reactions to Michigan's 2-0 Big Ten start
Michigan opened Big Ten play with a pair of victories this week, winning on the road at Wisconsin before escaping a late scare against Iowa. The Wolverines have matched their win total from last season and are off to a coveted 2-0 start in league play.
72 min
18
Big Ten Vibe Check with Sleepers Media's Greg W...
Greg Waddell of Sleepers Media joins the podcast for a Big Ten vibe check. We discuss what we've learned about all 18 teams in the Big Ten through the first month of college hoops, who we are skeptical of, who we are encouraged by, and what we can't figure out.
87 min
19
Michigan’s Fort Myers title run, defense, Danny...
60 min
20
Answering listener questions: Lineup decisions,...
It's time for a mailbag pod! Dylan and Eric answer listener-submitted questions from the forum, Twitter, and Blue Sky to break down Michigan's 5-1 start and preview what's to come with six consecutive high-major games coming up next on the schedule.
79 min
21
TCU Recap + How bad are Michigan's turnover iss...
Dylan and Eric recap Michigan's win over TCU and discuss where things stand with Michigan right now. They dive into the turnover issues, what's working on defense, Roddy Gayle and Vlad Goldin's struggles, the deep rotation and much more.
64 min
22
What we learned from opening week, and what we ...
Michigan opened the year with a blowout win over Cleveland State and then fell short against Wake Forest on Sunday. Dylan and Eric discuss the week that was, focusing mostly on the Wake Forest game and what worked, didn't work and what it means for the Wolverines moving forward. The discussion hits on Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin, LJ Cason, defensive rebounding and much more.
66 min
23
2024-25 Michigan Basketball Over/Under Season ...
Dylan and Eric preview the 2024-25 season by making predictions for user-submitted over/under props. We discuss offensive and defensive stats and rankings, rotation outlooks, individual predictions, Big Ten win total and much more.
74 min
24
A closer look at Roddy Gayle Jr.'s time at Ohio...
Adam Jardy of The Columbus Dispatch joins the podcast to provide insight on Roddy Gayle Jr. after covering him for the last two years. The discussion touches on Gayle's progression, his injury last season, the decision to transfer from Ohio State to Michigan, and much more. Then, we dive into Ohio State's coaching search (30:05), the decision to hire Jake Diebler and the state of the Buckeye program.
52 min
25
LJ Cason arrives and more Toledo exhibition tak...
65 min