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!