Category: Featured

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!