The (#16) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they lost it. On Sunday (10/25/2026), they lost to (#10) Houston 83-66 in Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Since this was just an exhibition game, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.
What Happened?
Michigan got their butts kicked, that’s what happened. Sure, it was “just an exhibition game”, but Michigan hasn’t lost a game by that many points since the end of the 2024-2025 season (MSU – 03/09/2025). All last season, Michigan only lost 3 games, by 3, 5, and 8 points. This was a very discouraging result.
As depressing as the final margin of defeat was, it was even more depressing that Michigan looked so helpless out there. They suffered through several devastating scoring droughts, and they let Houston do whatever they wanted.
Game Flow
Houston led for almost the entire game. It’s easy to list the few times Michigan led:
- 2-0 at the 19:13 mark of the 1st half
- 5-3 at the 17:44 mark of the 1st half
- 26-25 at the 5:50 mark of the 1st half
- 29-25 at the 5:03 mark of the 1st half (This was Michigan’s biggest lead)
- 29-26 at the 4:34 mark of the 1st half
- 29-28 at the 3:42 mark of the 1st half
And that was it. Michigan led for 4:22 in the 1st half, and never again. They were down 10 points midway through the 1st half, 7 points at halftime (38-31), and 17 points at the end. Houston kept their lead in the 11-13 point range for most of the 2nd half, with Michigan getting within 9 points (68-59) with 5:57 to go. It looked like Michigan might have one last run in them to make the game close, but Houston quickly got the lead back up to 14 points and cruised the rest of the way.
Stats
The game stats were pretty bad:
- Overall shooting – 17/50 = 34.0% (Terrible)
- 3-point shooting – 9/33 = 27.3% (Poor)
- Free throws – 23/29 = 79.3% (Very good)
- Rebounds – Michigan lost 30-42
- Turnovers – Michigan lost 13-11
Michigan lost this game with terrible overall shooting and poor rebounding.
Who Started?
The starters were Elliot Cadeau, J.P. Estrella, Roddy Gayle Jr., Trey McKenney, and Moustapha Thiam. Gayle’s eligibility problems have been worked out, for now, so he started and played.
Who Looked Good?
Gayle was the leading scorer for Michigan, with 14 points on pretty good shooting: 5/9 overall, 2/5 from deep, 2/2 from the line. He was one of the few bright spots for Michigan.
Thiam was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 12 points. He had a weird game: he scored Michigan’s first basket, to put them up 2-0, and that was it for his offense from the floor. He shot 1/4 overall, 0/2 from deep, 10/10 from the line.
Cadeau almost hit double figures, with 9 points on decent shooting: 3/6 overall, 1/2 from deep, 2/5 from the line.
McKenney also had a weird game. He scored 8 points, on lousy shooting: 2/11 overall, 2/7 from deep, 2/2 from the line. He made his first 2 shots, both 3-pointers, in the first 5 minutes of the game, then he missed his last 9 shots.
Oscar Goodman finally contributed, with 8 points off the bench. He shot 2/4 overall, 2/4 from deep, 2/4 from the line.
Estrella had an OK game. He scored 7 points on good shooting: 2/3 overall, 0/1 from deep, 3/4 from the line.
Who Looked Not-So-Good?
Quinn Costello chipped in a few points off the bench. He scored 6 points on lousy shooting: 2/7 overall, 2/7 from deep.
Kenny Noland played for almost 18+ minutes as the backup point guard, and he didn’t do much. He scored 2 points on awful shooting: 0/3 overall, 0/3 from deep, 2/2 from the line. He had 3 assists.
Ricky Liburd played 14+ minutes, and didn’t score. He also had awful shooting: 0/2 overall, 0/1 from deep.
Jalen Reed played for almost 11 minutes, and didn’t score. He also had awful shooting: 0/1 overall, 0/1 from deep.
Who Else Played?
No one else played.
Who Didn’t Play?
Joseph Hartman is injured (shoulder), and will be out for “at least 2 weeks”.
Malachi Brown and Marcus Møller were the other scholarship players who didn’t play.
The two players on the Scout Team (Howard Eisley Jr. and Harrison Hochberg) didn’t play in this game.
What Does It Mean?
We learned that this season’s Michigan team is a long way from being as good as last season’s team. There are many things that need fixing, and they may eventually get fixed, but at this point, Michigan does not look very good. They have the talent, they just need to activate it.
This game has no effect on Michigan’s standing or post-season chances. It was just an exhibition.
This Week
This week, Michigan has a rare week off. My reporting week runs from Monday – Sunday, and Michigan’s next game is on next Monday (11/02/2026).
Check back next week for a look back at the 3 exhibition games, and a look ahead at the regular season.
Go Blue!
