Author: Drew Montag

The (#6) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played two games this past week, and they won both of them.  On Tuesday (11/11/2025), they beat Wake Forest 85-84 in overtime in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, then on Friday (11/14/2025), they won at Texas Christian (TCU) 67-63.  Michigan’s record improves to 3-0.

Note: Remember in last week’s article where I said that Michigan only played one game this week?  Wrong.  I completely blanked out on the TCU game, no excuses.  I’ll try to do better.

What Happened?

Welcome to Cliffhanger U!  Not only did the last couple basketball games come down to the final seconds, but so did the last couple football games (21-16 over Purdue and 24-22 over Northwestern).  In fact, including the two exhibition games, the Michigan basketball team has had four cliffhangers (an exhibition loss to Cincinnati, an exhibition win over St. John’s, and the two games this past week) and one blowout (the regular season opener over Oakland).

Considering that Michigan was a 10.5 point favorite vs. WFU and a 6.5 point favorite vs. TCU, both of the basketball games were a lot closer than they should have been.  Just like the football team vs. Northwestern, the basketball team kept both games too close with turnovers.  In both sports, it’s frustrating to watch Michigan outplay an opponent, but struggle to pull away due to turnovers.

Enough football, back to just basketball.

Game Flow

Against Oakland last week, Michigan led from wire to wire.  Not in the games this week.  In the Wake Forest game, Michigan built up an early 7-2 lead at the 18:11 mark, then they went to sleep.  WFU ripped off a 9-0 run over the next 2 minutes, and led 11-7 with 16:08 left in the half.  The lead went back and forth for the next 11 minutes, and Michigan was up 29-26 at the 5:00 mark.  They pushed the lead up to 10 points (38-28) with 2:27 to go, then 13 points (47-34) at halftime.  Things looked to be under control.

The 2^nd half of the WFU game was a slow-motion disaster.  Michigan managed to keep their lead in the 11-13 point range for the first 4 minutes, and still led by 13 (53-40) at the 16:08 mark.  That’s when the wheels started to come off.  WFU went on a quick 13-3 run, and cut the lead down to 3 points (56-53) with 13:15 to go.  Michigan managed to keep the lead between 4-6 points for a while, but WFU finally tied the game up (64-64) at the 8:45 mark.  WFU finally went ahead (67-66) 25 seconds later, and pushed their lead up to 7 points (77-70) with 4:53 left.  That woke Michigan up, and they went on an 8-0 run over the next 4 minutes, to lead 78-77 at the 1:14 mark.  WFU hit a 3-pointer with 54 seconds left, Michigan made a layup with 36 seconds left, and that made it a tie game (80-80) at the end of regulation.  On to overtime.

Michigan never trailed in overtime.  They led 82-80 at the 4:43 mark, the game was tied up 82-82 at the 4:26 mark, Michigan led 84-82 at the 3:39 mark, the game was tied up 84-84 at the 1:54 mark, and Michigan scored the winning free throw with 13 seconds left.  WFU missed a runner at the buzzer.

The TCU game was also close and tense.  Michigan led 3-0 and 4-3, then TCU led for the next 12 minutes, by as many as 8 points.  Michigan finally caught up and led briefly (23-21) at the 4:47 mark.  That lead didn’t last long.  TCU went back ahead for the rest of the half, although Michigan stayed close.  UM made a layup with 1 second left in the half to pull within 2 points (35-33) at halftime.

The 2^nd half of the TCU game was more of the same.  TCU led for the first 14 minutes, but they couldn’t pull away.  Michigan managed to tie the game up a couple times (35-35, 49-49, and 51-51) before they finally regained the lead (52-51) at the 6:24 mark.  Once they got the lead back, they never trailed again.  They pushed the lead as high as 7 points (61-54) with 2:19 left, and held off TCU for the 4-point victory.

Stats

The stats for the Wake Forest game were unimpressive.  Michigan shot decently overall (28-for-62 = 45.2%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (4-for-25 = 16.0%), and they shot free throws just so-so (25-for-37 = 67.6%).  They won the rebounding battle handily (50-43), but they lost the turnover battle (17-13).  They won this game at the free throw line and with superior rebounding, but they almost lost it with lousy 3-point shooting and turnovers.

The stats for the TCU game were slightly better.  Michigan shot decently overall (23-for-53 = 43.4%), they shot 3-points decently (5-for-16 = 31.3%), and they shot free throws pretty well (16-for-20 = 80.0%).  They won the rebounding battle decisively (44-23), but lost the turnover battle badly (22-11).  They won this game with decent shooting and great rebounding, but they almost lost it with WAY TOO MANY turnovers.

Who Started?

The starters for both games were Nimari Burnett, Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara.

Who Looked Good?

Johnson was the most consistent player this week, with double figures (10 points) in both games.  He also had 8 and 12 rebounds, giving him a solid double-double vs. TCU.

Roddy Gayle Jr. was the only other Michigan player to hit double figures in both games, with 13 and 10 points off the bench.  He’s turning out to be a valuable “6^th man”.

Lendeborg had one good game and one decent game.  He was the leading scorer for Michigan vs. TCU, with 14 points, and he almost hit double figures vs. WFU, with 9 points.  He had 10 rebounds vs. TCU, for a double-double.

Trey McKenney came off the bench and had one good game and one decent game.  He was the 2^nd leading scorer for Michigan vs. TCU, with 11 points, and he almost hit double figures vs. WFU, with 8 points.

Mara had one good game and one mediocre game.  He was the star of the WFU game, with a team-high 18 points, 14 rebounds, 6 assists, and 5 blocked shots.  He shot very well: 8-for-11 overall.  He was much less effective vs. TCU, with only 6 points and 6 rebounds.

Cadeau also had one good game and one mediocre game.  He had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists in the WFU game, but only 3 points vs. TCU.

L.J. Cason had two decent games, with 8 and 5 points off the bench.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Burnett had one decent game (8 points vs. TCU) and one lousy game (2 points vs. WFU).  As a starter and returning veteran, much more is expected from him.

Will Tschetter had a terrible week, with 0 points in both games.  He can do much better than that.

Who Else Played?

No one else played.

Who Didn’t Play?

Winters Grady sat out both games with an injured foot.  He is listed as “day to day”, and should be available soon.

The uninjured scholarship players who didn’t play this week were: Oscar Goodman, Malick Kordel, and Ricky Liburd.

The Scout Team players who didn’t play this week were: Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.

What Does It Mean?

These were two important wins for Michigan.  Sure, they were favored to win both games, and sure, they struggled to put the games away, but they were still wins over power conference opponents, away from Crisler Arena.  Come March, these results will look good on Michigan’s postseason resume.

This Week

This week, Michigan only plays one game (yes, I double checked this time).  On Wednesday (11/19/2025, 6:30 p.m., BTN), they play Middle Tennessee State in Crisler Arena.

Middle Tennessee State was 22-12 (12-6 in Conference-USA) last season.  They lost in the 2^nd round of their conference tournament, then lost in the 1^st round of the NIT.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: two 6’11” players.  This is a game that Michigan should win relatively easily, which would be a welcome change after all the cliffhangers lately.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one game this past week, and they won it.  On Monday (11/03/2025), they beat Oakland 121-78 in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record is now 1-0.

What Happened?

Wow, what a game!  Sure, Oakland was an overmatched opponent, but still, it was a rousing opener.  Michigan played very well, and they looked like the #7 team in the country.  Many players got to play significant minutes, and several of them had good games.  It was a fun night.

Part of the fun was the pre-game ceremony when they raised the latest banner into the rafters of Crisler Arena: the 2025 Big Ten Tournament Championship.  It was a great way to start the season.

Game Flow

Michigan scored their first basket (an easy dunk) after only 13 seconds, and the rout was on.  Michigan led for the entire game, slowly but surely building their lead into the 20s, then the 30s, and finally the 40s.  They did whatever they wanted.  After making their first 7 shots, including 2 dunks and 3 layups, they started working on their 3-point shooting.  That also went well.  Oakland hung around for the first 4 minutes, and Michigan was only up 14-10, but then Michigan went on a devastating 20-0 run, and suddenly it was 34-10 at the 11:57 mark.  That was the game.  Oakland got within 18 points a couple times, but Michigan went up by 22 points (49-27) with 5:36 left in the half, and Oakland never got closer than 20 points the rest of the game.  UM pushed the lead up to 30 points (65-35) at the 1:36 mark, and led by 31 (69-38) at halftime.  69 points is a new Michigan record for points in one half.

Oakland kept the Michigan lead in the 28-30 point range for most of the beginning of the 2^nd half.  They crept within 28 points (83-55) at the 13:13 mark, but that was the last time they were within 30 points.  Michigan quickly pushed their lead up to 40 points (97-57) with 9:58 to go, then they hit the magic 100 point mark (100-57) at the 9:31 mark.  Michigan pushed their lead as high as 45 points (119-74) with 1:51 left, and cruised to a 43 point victory, 121-78.

Stats

The game stats were fabulous.  Michigan shot very well overall (45-for-70 = 64.3%), they shot 3-pointers very well (19-for-35 = 54.3%), and they shot free throws extremely well (12-for-13 = 92.3%).  They won the rebounding battle easily (40-22), and they even won the turnover battle (8-11).  They won this game with shooting, rebounding, and vastly improved turnover numbers.  It was an all-around great effort.

Incidentally, those 19 made 3-pointers tied the Michigan single game record.  It was fun to watch.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Elliot Cadeau, Roddy Gayle Jr., Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara.  Yaxel Lendeborg is the usual starter in place of Johnson, but he was nursing a minor injury, so he didn’t start, and he only played 22 minutes.

Who Looked Good?

In a game with many highlights and lots of scoring, Johnson was the leading scorer, with 24 points on excellent shooting: 10-for-12 overall, and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  Several of his baskets were either dunks or easy layups.  His only shortcomings: only 3 rebounds, and 0-for-2 shooting from 3-point range.

Trey McKenney finally came alive, after 2 forgettable exhibition games.  In fact, he was the 2^nd leading scorer for Michigan, with 21 points off the bench.  He shot very well: 7-for-10 overall, 6-for-8 from deep.  He even had 4 assists.

Speaking of bench points, Will Tschetter came off the bench and scored 16 points, on great shooting: 4-for-6 overall, 4-for-5 from deep, along with 4-for-4 from the free throw line.  He chipped in 4 rebounds as well.

After 2 quiet exhibition games, Burnett finally woke up.  He scored 14 points on good shooting: 5-for-9 overall, 4-for-7 from deep.

I can’t believe I’m this far down the list of “who looked good” before I get to Mara.  He looked very good, but he only had 12 points.  Of course, he also had 12 rebounds, for a very impressive double-double.  On top of that, he also had 5 blocked shots.  Here’s the thing: he could have had 30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocked shots if Coach May had left him in and kept running the offense through him.  Oakland had no one who could stop him.  Once Michigan got the lead up in the 20s, they slowed way down on going inside for easy dunks and concentrated on other facets of their offense.

Lendeborg came off the bench and scored 12 points, on perfect shooting: 4-for-4 overall, 2-for-2 from deep, and 2-for-2 from the free throw line.  He also had 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Gayle was the last of 7 Michigan players in double figures, with 11 points.  He also shot well: 5-for-7 overall, 1-for-3 from deep.

Cadeau only had 5 points, on poor shooting (2-for-7 overall, 1-for-4 from deep), but he had an amazing 12 assists, against only 1 turnover.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All the mainstream players looked good.

Who Else Played?

Oscar Goodman played for 9 minutes, and scored 3 points.

Malick Kordel played for 8 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Charlie May played for 7 minutes, and scored 3 points on a 3-pointer.  It was very exciting.

Who Didn’t Play?

L.J. Cason sat out the game with an injured shoulder.  He was available on an emergency basis, but certainly wasn’t needed.

Winters Grady sat out the game with an injured foot.  He is listed as “day to day”, and should be available for the next game (see below).

Ricky Liburd was the only uninjured scholarship player who didn’t play in this game.  I don’t know why he didn’t get in with a 40+ point lead.

Two of the Scout Team players didn’t get in: Howard Eisley Jr. and Harrison Hochberg.  I don’t know why they didn’t get in with a 40+ point lead.

What Does It Mean?

Once again, it was only one game against an overmatched opponent, but it was still an impressive performance.  Michigan got to try some unusual player combinations, and they got to work on different aspects of their offense.  The win over Oakland is not a result that’s going to have any effect on their resume for the NCAA Tournament, but it does give them one more entry in the win column.

Note: The next game that Oakland played was at (#1) Purdue on Friday evening.  The game was tied (35-35) at halftime, and Purdue had to work hard to win by 10, 87-77.  Just some food for thought…

This Week

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Tuesday (11/11/2025, 6:30 p.m., FS1), they play Wake Forest in Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.  This game is part of a new annual series called the Wolverine-Deacon Challenge (when Michigan is the home team) or the Deacon-Wolverine Challenge (when Wake Forest is the home team).  Wake Forest won this game last season 72-70 in Greensboro, NC.

Wake Forest was 21-11 (13-7 in the ACC) last season.  They lost in the 1^st round of the ACC Tournament, and didn’t play in any postseason tournaments.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have much height: one 6’10” guy.  Michigan will have a big height advantage in this game, and they should do fine if they can capitalize on it.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team didn’t play any games this week.  Michigan’s record is still 0-0.

What Happened?

This is a rare week off.  In past seasons, Michigan has played one exhibition game against a “cupcake” opponent in Crisler Arena the week before the regular season starts.  This season, Michigan played two exhibition games against quality opponents, 3 weeks before the regular season at home, and 2 weeks before the regular season on a neutral court.  This is very different.

How Are Things Looking?

Since there’s no game to analyze, let’s look at the current state of the team, now that we have a couple games worth of data to examine.  Here’s the good news and the bad news.

The Good News:

• Michigan appears to have a lot of talent and a lot of depth.  Coach May got to try lots of combinations that he might not try in a game that counts, and most of the time, most of the players looked good.
• Michigan is highly ranked, and they appear to deserve it.  They beat the #5 team in the nation (St. John’s) on their home court in the second exhibition game.
• The few minor injuries that bothered Michigan for the first exhibition game vs. Cincinnati appear to be healed up, and everyone is available.

The Bad News:

• Michigan lost their first exhibition game at home to an unranked team, and gave up 100 points in the process.  Of course, they were missing two key players due to the minor injuries mentioned above.
• Michigan appears to have a turnover problem, again.  They had several high-turnover games last season, including a few that were lost due to this problem, and the two exhibition games have been pretty sloppy.  It’s one thing to turn the ball over on a high risk/high reward play, but many of Michigan’s turnovers have been unforced.
• Michigan appears to have a foul problem.  Both exhibition games were slow, messy affairs with lots of fouls and free throws, and very little flow.

Who Has Looked Good So Far?

It’s still VERY early in the season, and the games were both exhibition games, but it’s still possible to see who has looked good so far and who hasn’t.

Yaxel Lendeborg has been the undisputed star of both games.  He has been the high scorer and the leading rebounder in both games, and he has looked very comfortable out there.  He should: he was voted a Preseason All-American.

Roddy Gayle Jr. has been a good supporting player so far.  He’s hit double figures in both games, and he’s shot relatively well.

Aday Mara missed the first exhibition game due to a minor injury, but he looked good in the one game he played in.  He’s not a dominating big man, he’s more of a finesse player, but when you start with a 7’3” frame, it makes the game a lot easier.

Morez Johnson Jr. also missed the first exhibition game due to a minor injury, but he also looked good in the one game he played in.  He’s a tough, solid, bruiser-type player, and he’s going to give Michigan some valuable muscle in the paint.

Will Tschetter has done all the things we’re used to seeing from him: he plays hard, he plays tough, he gives Michigan a good option at center when they’re playing “small ball”, and he makes things happen out there.  Unfortunately, one of the things he makes happen is “fouls”.

Elliot Cadeau has been good-but-not-great at starting point guard.  He has scored a reasonable number of points (14 and 9), he has dished out a decent number of assists (7 and 9), but he has had an unfortunate number of turnovers (2 and 5) and fouls (5 and 5).

Who Has Looked Not-So-Good So Far?

There are a few players who have not impressed so far this season:

Nimari Burnett has been the most disappointing player on the team so far.  We know what he’s capable of doing, and he isn’t doing it.  He has turned in two mediocre games, but it’s too early to give up on him.

L.J. Cason has had a slow start this season.  He has had his opportunities, and he hasn’t done much with them.  A lot was expected from him for this season, and he needs to start improving quickly.

Trey McKenney has played like a true freshman so far.  He just doesn’t look like a Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American.  He’s been shooting a lot, but the ball won’t go in the basket.  I’m confident that he’ll get better.

Winters Grady has played in both games, but hasn’t done much.  He’s also a true freshman, but with lower expectations than McKenney.  It isn’t clear if he will “get it” this season.

Oscar Goodman played in the first (Cincinnati) exhibition game, but didn’t do much.  He’s a redshirt freshman, and it’s not clear if he should be considered a “mainstream” player or not.

Malick Kordel played in the first (Cincinnati) exhibition game, but didn’t do much.  He’s a freshman, and it’s not clear if he should be considered a “mainstream” player or not.  I suspect that he’s more of a “project”.

Ricky Liburd played in the first (Cincinnati) exhibition game, but didn’t do much.  He’s a freshman, and it’s not clear if he should be considered a “mainstream” player or not.

Who Hasn’t Played So Far?

None of the Scout Team players have played so far: Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.

This Week

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Monday (11/03/2025, 8:30 p.m., FS1), they play Oakland in Crisler Arena.

Oakland was 16-18 (11-9 in the Horizon League) last season.  They lost in the semifinals of their league tournament, and didn’t play in the postseason.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, and they don’t have much height: one 6’10” guy.  This is the kind of team that Michigan used to play in their exhibition game, but this game is the regular season opener.  Michigan should handle Oakland easily, and get to try some unusual player combinations.  This should also be an opportunity for some of the non-mainstream players to get some serious playing time.

Note: Michigan will hang the banner to celebrate their Big Ten Tournament Championship from last season before this game.  Be sure to show up and be in your seat early for this.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they won it.  On Saturday (10/25/2025), they beat (#5) St. John’s 96-94 in overtime in Madison Square Garden, in New York City.   Since it was just an exhibition game, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.

What Happened?

This season, Michigan played two exhibition games, instead of the usual one.  Also, instead of playing an easy exhibition game against a “cupcake” opponent (think Northern Michigan), they played two games against quality opponents.

Full disclosure: I don’t subscribe to B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s premium service, so I wasn’t able to watch the game on TV.  Instead, I followed it using the “Live Stats” app on the web.  That gave me a feel for the flow of the game, but not how it looked.  I’ve seen highlights, but not the full game.  So, I’m patching this together from limited information.

It may have been a “meaningless” exhibition game in late October, but it had all the drama of a Sweet 16 game in mid-March.  A matchup between the #5 and #7 teams in the nation in Madison Square Garden?  Yes, please.

It was a close game the whole time, with neither team able to pull away.  As with Michigan’s first exhibition game last week, a 100-98 home loss to Cincinnati, there were way too many fouls called.  In this case, there were 28 fouls called on Michigan, with 2 players fouling out, and 26 fouls called on SJU, with 3 players fouling out.

Game Flow

Thanks to the very detailed PDF stats on UM’s website, I can give some meta information about the game flow:

• Michigan’s biggest lead was 8 points, at the 2:38 mark in overtime.
• SJU’s biggest lead was 5 points, at the 14:21 mark in the 2^nd half.
• Michigan’s best scoring run was 8 points, up to the 2:38 mark of overtime.
• SJU’s best scoring run was also 8 points, from the 2:38 mark to the 1:39 mark in overtime.
• There were 19 lead changes, and 10 ties.  That is a very close game.
• Michigan had the lead for 24:20.
• SJU had the lead for 16:19.

Michigan took the early lead, up 13-6 at the 14:55 mark.  They kept the lead in the 1-3 point range for the next few minutes, but SJU went ahead 19-18 with 7:52 left in the half.  The lead went back and forth for a while, and the game was all tied up (26-26) at the 3:57 mark.  SJU led for the rest of the half, but never by more than 4 points.  Michigan hit a 3-pointer at the halftime buzzer to pull within 1 point, 35-34.

The beginning of the 2^nd half was more back-and-forth, with a couple lead changes, and the game all tied up again (40-40) at the 17:46 mark.  At this point SJU pulled away, and led by 5 points (51-46) with 12:44 to go.  Michigan fought back and tied it up (51-51) at the 11:52 mark, but SJU went back ahead, keeping the lead in the 1-3 point range.  Finally, Michigan regained the lead (64-63) at the 7:49 mark.  They stretched the lead to 5 points (72-67) with 6:10 to go, but SJU tied it up again a couple times (72-72 and 74-74).  SJU got their final lead of the game (77-76) at the 3:13 mark, then UM pulled ahead again.  Michigan led by 4 points (84-80) with 1:52 to go, but SJU tied it up (84-84) with 1:04 left.  Amazingly, no one scored again for the last 64 seconds.  In fact, SJU never even attempted a shot.  Michigan attempted 3 shots, 2 of them driving layups, and missed them all.  They got a couple offensive rebounds, so they kept shooting, but they couldn’t buy a basket.  Sigh.

Overtime.  Michigan scored the first 8 points, and they were in control, 92-84, with 2:38 to go.  SJU scored the next 8 points to tie the game up, 92-92, with 1:39 to go.  Michigan made the last basket of the game at the 0:56 mark to go up 94-92, then the teams traded free throws the rest of the way.  Michigan went 2-for-4, and SJU went 2-for-5, and that was the ball game.

Stats

The game stats were decent.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (35-for-67 = 52.2%), they shot 3-pointers well (8-for-19 = 42.1%), but they didn’t shoot free throws very well (18-for-29 = 62.1%).  They won the rebounding battle easily (48-36), but they lost the turnover battle badly (22-10).  They won this game with shooting from the floor, but almost lost it with turnovers and free throw shooting.           

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Elliot Cadeau, Roddy Gayle Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Aday Mara.

Who Looked Good?

Lendeborg was the star of the game for Michigan again, with 25 points and 10 rebounds, for another double-double.  He shot well: 10-for-15 overall, 2-for-4 from deep.

Mara returned from a minor injury, and he looked good out there, with 13 points on good shooting: 5-for-10.  I expected more rebounding from him: 5 boards.

Gayle was the only other starter in double figures, with 11 points.  He shot just OK: 4-for-10 overall, 0-for-2 from deep.

Morez Johnson Jr. also returned from a minor injury, and he was the 2^nd leading scorer for Michigan with 15 points off the bench.  He was also the 2^nd leading rebounder, with 8 boards.

Will Tschetter was the 5^th UM player in double figures, with 10 points off the bench.  On the negative side, he fouled out.

Cadeau almost hit double figures, with 9 points on efficient shooting: 4-for-6 overall, 1-for-2 from deep.  On the positive side, he led the team with 9 assists.  On the negative side, he led the team with 5 turnovers.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Burnett had another mediocre game, scoring 5 points on just OK shooting: 2-for-5 overall, 1-for-3 from deep.

L.J. Cason came in a few times, but didn’t do much.  He scored 4 points in 20 minutes.  He’s having a slow start.

Trey McKenney continued to play like a freshman.  He kept shooting, and he finally made a basket, but he still doesn’t look like a Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American.  He scored 4 points on poor shooting: 1-for-5 overall, 1-for-3 from deep.

Who Else Played?

Winters Grady played for 2.5 minutes off the bench, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Oscar Goodman, Malick Kordel, and Ricky Liburd were the scholarship players who didn’t play in this game.

None of the Scout Team players played: Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.

What Does It Mean?

Once again, it was only an exhibition game, but it was a good benchmark for Michigan.  SJU played hard to win, and Michigan got to experience a tournament-style game without worrying about their win-loss record.  This game showed that Michigan can hang in there with the big boys.

This Week

This week, Michigan doesn’t play a game.  They play their first “real” game on Monday 11/03/2025, against Oakland.

Check back next week for a preview of the start of the regular season.

Go Blue!

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played one (exhibition) game this past week, and they lost it.  On Friday (10/17/2025), they lost to Cincinnati 100-98 in Crisler Arena.   Since it was just an exhibition game, Michigan’s record is still 0-0.

What Happened?

Before the game, head coach Dusty May said that he hoped that Michigan would lose an exhibition game.  He got his wish.  I understand what he meant: he was hoping that Michigan would play a team good enough to beat them, instead of the normal “cupcake” teams that Michigan usually schedules for their exhibition games.  He wanted to have any weaknesses exposed in a game that doesn’t count in the team’s win-loss record, so that they know what to work on before the games count.  Mission accomplished.  There were several weaknesses exposed, and now Dusty needs to figure out how to address them.  It was sad to lose a home game and give up 100 points, but it was only an exhibition.

In all fairness, Michigan was missing a couple key players due to minor injuries, and the officiating was, let’s say, interesting.  The refs called way too many fouls, so there was very little rhythm and flow to the game.  It will be interesting to see how Michigan does with a full roster and reasonable officials.

Game Flow

Cincinnati led for most of the game, except for a brief period in the 1^st half when Michigan led.  Cinci was ahead 5-0 and 7-3, but Michigan went on an 8-0 run to pull ahead 11-7 at the 16:56 mark.  They were still ahead, 15-11, with 12:41 to go, then they went to sleep.  Cinci went on a 10-6 run, and went ahead for good, 21-17 at the 8:45 mark.  They pushed their lead as high as 20 points in the 1^st half, 52-32, with 0:27 to go, and led by 18 at halftime, 52-34.  It was an ugly half.

The 2^nd half was better.  Michigan cut the lead down to 11 points pretty quickly: 57-46 at the 17:11 mark.  Cinci kept the lead in the 10-14 range for the next 5 minutes, but Michigan finally got it down to single digits (69-60) with 12:04 to go.  UM kept chipping away at the deficit, and got within 2 points (86-84) with 4:23 left.  That was as close as they got.  They had the ball down 2 points a couple times, but they just couldn’t get the ball to go in the basket.  Cinci made their free throws in the final minute, and a last-second 3-pointer by Michigan made the score look closer than it really was.

Stats

For some reason, Michigan didn’t post stats for this game, but I found them on Cincinnati’s website.

The game stats were just OK.  Michigan shot decently overall (24-for-50 = 48.0%), they shot 3-pointers decently (9-for-32 = 28.1%), and they shot free throws very well (41-for-48 = 85.4%).  They won the rebounding battle (33-29), but lost the turnover battle (20-16).  They lost this game with mediocre shooting and lax defense.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Elliot Cadeau, Roddy Gayle Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Will Tschetter.

Who Looked Good?

Lendeborg was the star of the game for Michigan, with 31 points and 12 rebounds, for a solid double-double.  He shot well overall (10-for-16), but not from 3-point range (2-for-7).  He was 9-for-9 from the free throw line.  He was the best player out there.

Gayle was the 2^nd highest scorer for Michigan, with 18 points.  He shot well overall (4-for-6), but only 1-for-3 from deep.  He was 9-for-11 from the free throw line.  Unfortunately, he led Michigan with 8 turnovers.  Yikes.

Tschetter was the 3^rd leading scorer for Michigan, with 15 points.  He shot 3-for-5 overall, all 3-pointers, which is good, but he also had a technical foul, which is not so good.

Cadeau was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 14 points.  He was perfect from the floor (1-for-1), and got his other points at the free throw line (12-for-15).

Winters Grady only played for 13 minutes off the bench, but he made the most of it, scoring 6 points on 2-for-4 shooting, all from deep.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Burnett had a mediocre game, scoring 7 points on poor shooting: 2-for-7 overall, 1-for-6 from deep.

L.J. Cason came in a few times, but didn’t do much.  He scored 4 points in 14 minutes.  He could be a key player this season, so he needs to get going.

Trey McKenney played like a freshman in his first college game.  He wasn’t afraid to shoot, but he couldn’t buy a basket.  He ended up with 1 point (1-for-2 on free throws) on terrible shooting: 0-for7 overall, 0-for-6 from deep.  He shot 55% overall and 42% from deep his senior year in high school, so he knows how to make a basket.  First game nerves?

Who Else Played?

Oscar Goodman was the first player off the bench, for what that’s worth.  He scored 2 points in 7 minutes.

Malick Kordel played for 3 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.  I was surprised that Coach May didn’t have him in there more often, since Cinci had a much bigger lineup, but maybe he’s not ready yet.  He didn’t play enough to get an idea of how good he is.

Ricky Liburd played for 3 minutes, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara are the two mainstream players who didn’t play in this game.  Apparently, they both have minor injuries.

None of the Scout Team players played: Howard Eisley Jr., Harrison Hochberg, and Charlie May.  Who else will end up on the Scout Team?  Liburd?  Kordel?

What Does It Mean?

Not much.  It was just an exhibition game.  On the one hand, it was discouraging to see Michigan fall behind so quickly and so far in the 1^st half, but on the other hand, it was encouraging to see them fight back and almost get the win.

This Week

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Saturday (10/25/2025, 7:00 p.m., BTN+) they play (#5) St. John’s in Madison Square Garden, in New York City.  This is another exhibition game.

St. John’s was 31-5 (18-2 in the Big East).  They won the Big East tournament, and were a #2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.  They lost in the 2^nd round to a #10 seed, Arkansas.  They are highly ranked (#5) this season, and they have a solid roster, with a couple 6’11” players.  This is going to be a very challenging game for Michigan, especially if they play the way they did vs. Cincinnati.

Check back next week to find out what happened and why.

Go Blue!