To the surprise of no one, the Michigan Wolverines grabbed tons of headlines at last month’s NBA Draft, having three players selected in the span of four picks. Morez Johnson joins Dusty May in Dallas after being taken ninth-overall, and fellow lottery selections Yaxel Lendeborg (Golden State) and Aday Mara (Thunder) soon followed him in the lottery.
These three names were not the only ones familiar to fans of the Wolverines. In fact, nearly half of the first-round selections played either for or against Michigan at some point last year. As we close out the 2025-26 championship season, take a quick look back at how each of the 10 first-rounders who played the Wolverines fared in their games last season.
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1.03 Cameron Boozer, Duke
Credit where it is due: Boozer got the best of Lendeborg and the Wolverines, putting up 18 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists in the massive Duke win in Washington, D.C.
1.05 Keaton Wagler, Illinois
Wagler came out of nowhere to win All-Big Ten First Team and Freshman of the Year honors, skyrocketing himself into a top-five pick. More importantly, he also had the honor of watching Michigan clinch the conference title on his home floor, though did lead the Illini with 23 points that evening on 3-of-6 shooting from deep.
1.10 Brayden Burries, Arizona
Two different Wildcats were drafted in the first round following their defeat in one of the most anticipated Final Four matchups ever. Like most of his teammates, Burries just could not get anything going against the Wolverines, shooting 4-for-16 from the floor. Nevertheless, it was a strong year for the first-team Big 12 selection.
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1.13 Nate Ament, Tennessee
A former top-five prospect, Ament had a solid sophomore season, averaging 16.7 points per game. He scored 16 against Virginia and 18 against Iowa State, causing some concern for Michigan fans heading into the Elite Eight. However, once again the Wolverine defense was just too suffocating, limiting the lottery pick to seven points on abysmal 2-of-12 shooting.
1.14 Hannes Steinbach, Washington
Steinbach did not get the most attention in the Big Ten, but he did make it onto the All-Freshman team after averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds this season. He faced the Wolverines way back in January, putting up 11 points and 14 rebounds in the Huskies’ home loss. The German forward had a successful debut in America, making his way into the lottery.
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1.16 Bennett Stirtz, Iowa
Following his coach to Iowa City, Stirz just kept on scoring, raising his average to 19.8 points per game while shooting a bunch of threes. The Drake transfer played all 40 minutes against Michigan and almost helped his squad pull off the upset over the championship-hungover visitors, putting up 21 points, but missing a three that would have tied the game at the buzzer.
1.22 Labaron Philon, Alabama
After making the SEC All-Freshman team last year, Philon returned to snag First Team honors, scoring 22 points a game and nearly 40 percent from three. He certainly did his part in the Sweet Sixteen, putting up 35 points in 39 minutes against the Wolverines, but the Wolverines were just too much, especially with little help coming from the rest of the Tide.
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1.26 Tarris Reed, Connecticut
Fun fact, Reed played at Michigan. Oh, you already knew that? Well regardless, it turned out well for the big man, earning first-team All-Big East honors this season and turning himself into a first-round selection. It was not the best National Championship Game for the former Wolverine, but he did post a double-double against the nearly unbeatable front court.
1.29 Alex Karaban, Connecticut
Another fun fact, Michigan won the national championship. Oh, you already knew that as well? Somebody who also knows a lot about college basketball history is Karaban, who played in 151 games and won two titles himself, ending his UConn career with First Team All-Big East honors like Reed. Karaban led the Huskies in scoring in the final, but it just was not enough to get him another ring.
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1.30 Koa Peat, Arizona
Many believed the highly ranked prospect should return for his sophomore season, but Peat opted to head to the NBA and barely snuck into the first round. Peat actually led the Wildcats in the aforementioned Final Four beatdown, but only ended up with 16 points on a somewhat inefficient shooting night. In the NIL era, staying in college might have been the better decision.
