Category: Basketball

The (#7) University of Michigan men’s basketball team played three games this past week, in the Players Era Festival tournament in Las Vegas, and they won all three of them, which made them tournament champions.  On Monday (11/24/2025), they beat San Diego State 94-54, on Tuesday (11/25/2025), they beat (#21) Auburn 102-72, then on Wednesday (11/26/2025), they beat (#12) Gonzaga 101-61.  Michigan’s record improves to 7-0.

What Happened?

Wow, what a tournament!  Michigan didn’t just win three games in three days, they won all three in blowout fashion, two of them against ranked opponents.  Because they won the first two games by the maximum score differential in the tournament scoring system, they got to play in the championship game on the third day, and they won that one convincingly.  They were obviously the best team there, and they deserved to win the Players Era Festival Championship.

As a huge bonus, they got $1 million in NIL money for playing in the tournament, and they got another $1 million for winning it.  I’m not a big fan of the NIL system, but it’s the current reality, and I’m glad Michigan is doing it right.

Game Flow

All three games had a similar flow: Michigan got ahead early, built up a comfortable lead by halftime, then poured it on in the 2^nd half to win in blowout fashion.  Look at those winning margins: 40, 30, and 40 points.  That’s domination.

Michigan started out a little slow in the SDSU game.  SDSU led 5-0, Michigan tied it 5-5, SDSU went ahead 7-5, then Michigan got going.  Michigan tied it up 7-7 at the 16:56 mark, and that was the last time they were tied or trailed.  They went on a 10-0 run to lead 17-7 at the 14:10 mark, and they pushed the lead up as high as 17 points (32-15 with 7:22 to go in the half).  However, SDSU hung around.  They got back within 9 points a few times, but Michigan still led by 12 points (45-33) at halftime.

The 2^nd half was beautiful.  Michigan went on an 8-0 run to push their lead up to 20 points (53-33) at the 17:19 mark, and that was the game.  SDSU never got closer than 16 points, and the lead kept growing.  It hit 30 points (73-43) with 9:27 to go, and 42 points (94-52) with 1:26 left, before ending with a 40 point margin of victory.

Beating unranked SDSU was one thing, but playing (#21) Auburn was something else.  Auburn was a #1 seed in last season’s NCAA Tournament, and they knocked Michigan out of the tournament in the Sweet 16.  Everyone expected a close, tense game, but Michigan blew them away.  Auburn led 2-0 and 2-1, but Michigan went ahead 3-2 at the 18:31 mark, and Auburn never led again.  Michigan pushed their lead up to 12 points (16-4) with 15:01 to go in the half.  At that point, Auburn had missed their first 8 shots, getting all 4 points from the free throw line.  They finally started making some shots, and they got within 6 points (16-10) at the 14:16 mark, but Michigan kept the lead in the 8-10 point range for the next few minutes.  The turning point was at the 9:01 mark, when Auburn was within 8 points (28-20).  Michigan went on a nice 20-4 run, which pushed their lead up to 24 points, 48-24, with 3:22 to go.  Michigan added 4 more points to their lead, and the led by 28 points (59-31) at halftime.

The 2^nd half consisted of Michigan keeping their lead between 25-30 points.  It got as high as 35 points (100-65) at the 2:39 mark, ending at 30 points (102-72).  It was a beautiful, dominant victory.

OK, beating SDSU was expected, and Michigan was a slight favorite vs. Auburn, but (#12) Gonzaga was ranked even higher than Auburn, and they were a slight favorite vs. Michigan.  Michigan had time to prepare for SDSU and Auburn, but they didn’t know who they would be playing on Wednesday night until late Tuesday night.  Were they tired from two fast-paced, high-scoring games?  Could they play at the same pace for three days in a row?  Vegas didn’t think so, and neither did the ESPN game analytics (72-28 in favor of Gonzaga).

So, what did Michigan do?  They played their best game of the three vs. Gonzaga.  They never trailed, leading 3-0, 5-0, then 13-3.  They forced Gonzaga to call a “momentum” timeout before the first media timeout, at the 16:49 mark.  That’s huge.  Michigan kept building on the lead, pushing it up to 19 points (33-14) with 10:44 to go in the half.  They kept it between 17-19 points for a while, but they let Gonzaga creep a little closer (13 points: 39-26) at the 5:08 mark.  That just woke Michigan up, and they went on a 14-3 run to end the half, up 24 points (53-29).  When was the last time Gonzaga was down 24 points at halftime?

The 2^nd half was a thing of beauty.  Michigan pushed the lead up to 30 points (65-35) at the 14:29 mark, then 40 points (83-43) at the 9:20 mark.  When was the last time Gonzaga was down 40 points?  Michigan got the lead as high as 46 points a couple times, settling for a 40-point victory.

Stats

The stats for the SDSU game were solid.  Michigan shot well overall (34/68 = 50.0%), they shot 3-pointers pretty well (11/33 = 33.3%), and they shot free throws decently (15/22 = 68.2%).  They crushed SDSU on the boards (49-34), and they even won the turnover battle (13-17).  They won this game with solid shooting and dominant rebounding.  Cutting down the number of turnovers sure helped as well.

The stats for the Auburn game were pretty good.  Michigan shot well overall (35/68 = 51.5%), they shot 3-pointers well (14/35 = 40.0%), and they shot free throws well (18/22 = 81.8%).  They crushed Auburn on the boards (51-35), but they barely lost the turnover battle (9-8).  They won this game with good shooting and dominant rebounding.  They even cut down the number of turnovers from the previous game.

The stats for the Gonzaga game were very good.  Michigan shot very well overall (36/60 = 60.0%), they shot 3-pointers very well (13/27 = 48.1%), and they shot free throws decently (16/25 = 64.0%).  They won the rebounding battle (44-38), but lost the turnover battle (14-11).  They won this game with great shooting and good rebounding.

Look at those stats, especially the 3-point shooting and the rebounding.  If Michigan can keep that up, they’re going to win a lot of games.

Who Started?

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

Who Looked Good?

It was the Yaxel Lendeborg show, again.  He was the leading scorer in all three games, with 15, 17, and 20 points.  He was also the tournament MVP.  Just for good measure, he had 11 rebounds vs. Gonzaga, for another “double-double”.  He was brilliant, again.

Johnson also had a great tournament, with 13, 15, and 11 points.  He shot very well: 4/8, 6/7, and 5/6, for a total of 15/21 (71.4%).

Burnett also hit double figures in all three games: 11, 15, and 14 points.  He shot well: 3/8 overall (2/6 from deep), 5/7 overall (1/2 from deep), and 4/5 overall (4/4 from deep).  That works out to 12/20 (60.0%) overall, and 7/12 (58.3%) from deep.

Roddy Gayle Jr. had a good tournament, coming off the bench.  He hit double figures in two of the three games: 11, 17, and 9 points.  He shot very well in two of the games, and pretty well in the third: 5/6 overall (0/0 from deep), 6/13 (3/6 from deep), and 3/3 overall (0/0 from deep).  That works out to 14/22 (63.6%) overall, and 3/6 (50.0%) from deep.

Trey McKenney also had a good tournament, coming off the bench.  He also hit double figures in two of the three games: 6, 11, and 17 points.  He shot pretty well: 2/6 overall (2/5 from deep), 3/6 overall (3/6 from deep), and 6/9 overall (3/5 from deep).  That works out to 11/21 (52.4%) overall, and 8/16 (50.0%) from deep.

Cadeau only hit double figures in one game (13, 3, and 5 points), but he did an excellent job running the offense and playing tough defense.  He had a season-high 13 assists in the Gonzaga game.

Mara also only hit double figures in one game (7, 5, and 13 points), but he was a force under the basket, with rebounds (8, 8, and 4) and blocked shots (3, 2, and 2).  Besides all the shots he blocked, he forced many of the opponents to change or reconsider their shots when they got near the basket.

L.J. Cason hit double figures in one of the three games off the bench, with 6, 10, and 2 points.

Will Tschetter chipped in 10, 4, and 6 points off the bench.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

All of the mainstream players looked good this week.

Who Else Played?

Since all three games were blowouts, some of the non-mainstream players got to play more than usual.

Oscar Goodman played in all three games, for significant minutes (5, 8, and 7).  He scored 2 points each in the SDSU and Auburn games, on 1/2 shooting in each game.  He didn’t attempt a shot in the Gonzaga game.  He had a career-highlight “poster” dunk near the end of the Auburn game.

Winters Grady played in all three games, for significant minutes (4, 7, and 7).  He shot 0/1 vs. SDSU, 1/3 (all from deep) vs. Auburn, and 1/5 (all from deep) vs. Gonzaga.  These were the first points of his career.

Malick Kordel played in all three games, for significant minutes (4, 4, and 6).  He shot 0/1 in all three games.

Charlie May played in the Auburn game (0/1 shooting) and the Gonzaga game (1 point on a free throw).

Who Didn’t Play?

The only scholarship player who didn’t play was Ricky Liburd.  I don’t know if he’s injured, being redshirted, or just not good enough to play in a 40-point blowout.

The Scout Team players who didn’t play were: Howard Eisley Jr. and Harrison Hochberg.

What Does It Mean?

Winning this tournament is a Big Deal, and winning it by 40-30-40 points is a Really Big Deal.  All three of these games will look excellent on Michigan’s tournament resume in March.  If Michigan can maintain this level of performance, they can beat anyone and everyone on their schedule.

I would argue that this was the best 3-day period in Michigan basketball history, even better than when they won the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament in 2019.  Even better than when they won the 2017 Big Ten Tournament as the #8 seed (of course, that was 4 wins in 4 days).  Even better than when they won the 2018 Big Ten Tournament (another 4 wins in 4 days).

Even better than when they won the 2025 Big Ten Tournament.  None of those wins was by 30 or 40 points.

This Week

This week, Michigan only plays one game.  On Saturday (12/06/2025, 4:00 p.m., BTN), they play Rutgers in Crisler Arena.

Rutgers is currently 5-3, with a win over UNLV in the Players Era Festival.  They don’t have any noteworthy players (their two best players from last season hit the NBA Draft), but they do have a little height: a 6’10” player and a 6’11” player.  Rutgers is several notches below Auburn and Gonzaga, so if Michigan can play their game, they should handle them.

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 Wednesday (11/19/2025), they beat Middle Tennessee State 86-61 in Crisler Arena.  Michigan’s record improves to 4-0.

What Happened?

After a couple tense, close games (beating Wake Forest by 1 point in overtime, then beating TCU by 4 points), it was refreshing to have a relatively low-stress game that turned into a blow-out win.  The game was close for much of the 1^st half, but Michigan woke up in the 2^nd half and beat MTSU convincingly.

Game Flow

As I just mentioned, the 1^st half of the game was close and tense.  Michigan led for most of the half, but they built up a nice lead, then let it almost entirely slip away.  MTSU had their last lead of the game at the 15:40 mark, up 9-8.  Michigan then went on a 12-0 run, to take control, 20-9, with 10:34 left.  They pushed the lead up to 12 points (23-11) at the 9:18 mark, then they let MTSU sneak back into the game.  MTSU went on a 13-2 run, and got within one point (25-24) with 3:56 left in the half.  Michigan woke up, and pushed their lead back up to 9 points (36-27) with 8 seconds left.  Unfortunately, MTSU scored an “and one” at the buzzer, to cut the lead to 6 points (36-30) at halftime.

Michigan came out on fire to start the 2^nd half, and quickly doubled their lead: 42-30 in the first 45 seconds.  They slowly pushed their lead higher and higher, finally getting over 20 (61-40) at the 13:08 mark.  They pushed the lead as high as 27 points several times, and kept it in the 24-26 point range the rest of the game, winning by 25 points.

Stats

The game stats were just OK.  Michigan shot pretty well overall (31/67 = 46.3%), they shot 3-pointers terribly (5/25 = 20.0%), and they shot free throws pretty well (19/26 = 73.1%).  They won the rebounding battle (48-40) and the turnover battle (13-15).  They won this game with decent overall shooting and good rebounding.  They still had a few too many turnovers, and the 3-point shooting continues to be a problem.

Who Started?

The starters were Nimari Burnett, Elliot Cadeau, Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg, and Will Tschetter.  Tschetter started in place of Aday Mara, who did fairly well off the bench.

Who Looked Good?

It was the Yaxel Lendeborg show, again.  He was the leading scorer, with 25 points, and the leading rebounder, with 12 boards, giving him another double-double.  He even had 3 assists, 2 steals, 1 blocked shot, and 0 turnovers.  He was brilliant.

Cadeau was the only other starter in double figures, with 10 points.

Mara was the only other Michigan player in double figures, with 10 points off the bench.  He also had 10 rebounds, for a nice double-double.  He needs to work on his 3-foot jumpers; he missed several of them.

Johnson almost hit double figures, with 9 points, to go with 7 rebounds.

Roddy Gayle Jr. did a nice job off the bench, with 8 points.

L.J. Cason also did a nice job off the bench, with 8 points.

Who Looked Not-So-Good?

Tschetter started out strong, with Michigan’s first basket, a 3-pointer 33 seconds into the game, but that was it for him.  He finished with 5 points on 1/3 shooting, all from deep, and a pair of free throws.

Burnett was quiet out there, again.  He had 5 points on 2/6 shooting, 0/3 from deep.

Trey McKenney came off the bench and had a terrible game.  He scored 3 points on lousy shooting: 1/10 overall, 1/7 from deep.

Who Else Played?

Oscar Goodman played for 3 minutes, and missed his only shot attempt, an easy put-back layup.

Winters Grady was finally recovered from his foot injury, and played 7 minutes.  He missed his only shot, a 3-point attempt.

Malick Kordel played for 2 minutes, and scored 3 points.  He made his only shot attempt (a dunk), and made 1/2 free throws.

Charlie May played in the final minute, but didn’t attempt a shot.

Who Didn’t Play?

The only scholarship player who didn’t play was Ricky Liburd.

The Scout Team players who didn’t play were: Howard Eisley Jr. and Harrison Hochberg.

What Does It Mean?

Middle Tennessee State is a notch up from “cupcake”, but not at the same level as Wake Forest or TCU.  Still, this was a game that Michigan couldn’t afford to lose, and they played pretty well, especially in the 2^nd half.  Every win helps Michigan build their postseason resume, and this was a solid win.

This Week

This week, Michigan plays three games, all in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas, NV.  On Monday (11/24/2025, 10:30 p.m. EST, truTV), they play San Diego State, then on Tuesday (11/25/2025, 8:30 p.m. EST, TNT), they play (#22) Auburn.

 Depending on how those games go, Michigan might play in one of these games:

• The championship third-place game at 7:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday (11/26/2025)
• The championship first-place game at 9:30 p.m. EST on Wednesday (11/26/2025)
• The consolation bracket first-place game at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday (11/27/2025)
• The consolation bracket third-place game at 10:30 p.m. EST on Thursday (11/27/2025)

Confusing?  You bet.  That’s only 4 games on Wednesday/Thursday, and there are 18 teams; are there 10 teams that will only play 2 games?  I don’t know.

San Diego State is currently 2-1, with no noteworthy results.  Last season, they were 21-10 (14-6 in the Mountain West).  They had some big wins last season: (#21) Creighton and (#6) Houston.  They lost in the 1^st round of their conference tournament, but they went to the NCAA Tournament.  They lost in the 1^st round of the Big Dance.  They don’t have any noteworthy players, but they do have some height: a 7-footer and a 7’1” guy.  This could be a very challenging contest.  Michigan should win, as long as they don’t commit too many turnovers and shoot a decent percentage from 3-point range.

Auburn is currently 4-1, with their only loss by one point to (#1) Houston.  They were 32-6 last season, and were a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they beat Michigan 78-65 in the Sweet 16, before losing to Florida in the Final Four.  They have a loaded roster, with some height: a 6’10” player and a 7-footer.  This will be Michigan’s most difficult non-conference game until the Duke game in February.  If Michigan really deserves to be ranked in the Top 10, they need to win this kind of game.

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

Go Blue!

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!