The transfer portal can be like a box of chocolates, but Michigan coach Dusty May knew exactly what he had in Vlad Goldin.

“The most difficult thing now in this new era is the transfer portal,” May said in his opening statement after the No. 5 Wolverines knocked off No. 4 Texas A&M, 91-79, Saturday afternoon at Ball Arena. “We as coaches, as evaluators, it’s hard to know what’s inside guys. We can watch them on film, we can look at their percentages, we can break down their analytics, but you never know what’s inside of them.”

May didn’t have to guess on Goldin. The duo led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023 and made a return trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. Then, May got the job coaching the Wolverines and made the easy choice to bring his 7-foot-1 center with him to Ann Arbor after the Russian withdrew from last year’s NBA Draft.

“If you watched our games versus … the high-major basketball conferences, he performed at a high, high level, and he was out there with our power forward, who was 6-foot-3,” May said of his FAU squad. “Our three man was 6-foot-3. So, he was out there without much size. He’s battling in the paint with just a bunch of small pit bulls, but he always did well.”

The decision paid off in a big way on Saturday. Goldin scored 23 points, grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and blocked three shots. Michigan won the 31 minutes and 33 seconds he played by 25 points. The Aggies were the best offensive rebounding team in the country and built their identity on being as much, but Michigan matched their 17 second-chance points.

“We are reliant completely on extra shots from offensive rebounds, and we are reliant and dependent on only allowing the opponent one shot,” Texas A&M coach Buzz Williams said. “We did not do as well as our averages up until today from a defensive rebound perspective or an offensive rebound perspective.”

The fourth-seeded Aggies led 39-35 at halftime behind Pharrel Payne’s 14 points and three rebounds off the bench. Payne finished with a team-high 26 points but got shut down in the decisive moments. Goldin scored 11 of his points in the second half and finished 9 for 11 on foul shots. His final point gave the Wolverines a nine-point lead with three minutes to go. Michigan finished with 16 offensive rebounds to the Aggies’ 15, helping the Wolverines finish the game with a 48-39 rebounding advantage.

“Coach has given us a great understanding who they are and what they do well,” Goldin said.

“(It’s) just a mindset. If we know what they do, we will have to adjust it and have the same physicality as they (have).”

Up next for Goldin and the Wolverines is a matchup with Auburn, the No. 1 overall seed, and their star big man Johni Broome.

“I like him versus any ‘5’ in the country,” Michigan guard Rubin Jones told the Denver Gazette.

A win would get the Wolverines back in the Elite 8 and continue Goldin’s time playing for his guy.

“That’s why I’m here,” Goldin said of his coach.

“I chose to be here because of the relationship we built together, and that’s something that I personally take pride of, that we were able to build that type of relationship. I’m happy to be his player.”