How Roddy Gayle Jr. elevated Michigan past Texas A&M with 26 points off the bench

In one year, the transfer portal took a program from eight total wins in 2023-24 to competing against a 1-seed in the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament.

Just like he did at Florida Atlantic, Michigan Wolverines head basketball coach Dusty May created a super team in a short offseason with his new program. He brought in established players from all over the country, found hidden depth pieces and convinced three freshmen to take a chance on him.

It hasn’t been all pretty, but it all came together on Saturday night against the Texas A&M Aggies, and everyone chipped in during the win.

While many current tournament teams have a go-to guy the offense runs through, the Wolverines have shown that any player can step up any given night. That player on Saturday was Ohio State transfer Roddy Gayle Jr.

Gayle came to Ann Arbor as an established player in Columbus. He began the year as the starter, but due to inconsistent play, Rubin Jones took his place in the starting lineup.

Getting benched as an established starter is not easy, and while there were many games Gayle didn’t score a lot of point, his scoring has been on full display through the first two rounds of the tournament.

“It’s an amazing feeling, especially all that we’ve been through,” Gayle said after Michigan’s win over Texas A&M. “I feel like we’re clicking at the right time, especially how we were able to finish the Big Ten Tournament. I just feel like we have great team chemistry right now. The kind of energy that my teammates give me, I just feed off of it.”

Gayle scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting against UC San Diego. Facing the Aggies, Gayle took his game to a whole new level by making 7-of-14 shots. He also made all eight of his free throws and drilled four three-pointers to score a season-high 26 points.

Winning in March is all about peaking at the right time, and Michigan is getting production from everyone at the very right time, especially Gayle.

“First of all, when we narrow our focus and we have a real team, I guess, initiative on something we want to get done together, it shows what we’re capable of,” May said. “Sometimes when you start a new program, you want to implement everything. You want your culture, you want your processes, you want your environment.

“You’re constantly trying to get things the way you want them. And if it’s not going well, sometimes you’re kind of inching it there. Sometimes maybe we’ve done too much. I don’t know, I just know when this group is locked in on something together, then they’re going to figure out a way to do it.”

Michigan’s win on Saturday capped off a five-game stretch in nine days. Between playing three consecutive games in the Big Ten Tournament and now playing two NCAA Tournament games, teams can get fatigued and not play their best. Realizing this before Saturday’s game, May made a conscious effort to get his bench involved, allowing Gayle and freshman guard L.J. Cason to flourish.

“We were flat (in the first half),” May said. “...We wanted to get to our bench. We trust those guys. We know how good they are.

“But (Cason’s) energy, ability to get in the paint, and decision-making were great. And that started the run. And then when the starters came back in, and then, obviously, Roddy is a starter that just happens to not have his name called, those guys got downhill and made plays, they were poised.”

Michigan will now get a five-day break before heading to Atlanta to face Auburn in the Sweet Sixteen. The Wolverines have shown they know what it takes to not only win in March, but win close games in March. To keep doing that, they will need everyone to step up — much like Gayle did on Saturday — to take down the top overall seed.