Michigan basketball's regular season will start on Monday, Nov. 2 and the Wolverines are ready to roll. Mike Boynton Jr.'s program played three exhibition games in the preseason after taking a three-game trip overseas in the Summer.
Michigan went 2-1 in its exhibition games, beating both Eastern Michigan and Oregon State, before falling to a good Houston team.
Here's the good and the bad from Michigan's preseason.
The Good
Trey McKenney/Elliot Cadeau pairing
Michigan is going to live and die by these two this season. The Wolverines are going to be guard dependent this season and Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau will be the 1A/1B options on this team. In the win over Eastern Michigan, McKenney had 21 points and against Oregon State, Cadeau had 27 points.
The pairing did struggle against Houston, and Michigan lost. There will be games both struggle and that's where others will really need to step up, but luckily, in most games one of the two guards should be on their A game. McKenney is an easy pick to have a breakout year, and Cadeau will be tasked to score more than he did a year ago.
Moustapha Thiam brings excitement down low
Losing both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. down low is not an easy task to fill. But Michigan did go out and land two of the better big man options in the transfer portal by landing J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam.
Thiam, the Cincinnati transfer, is going to be the heartbeat of the Wolverines' front court. He has already built a connection with Elliot Cadeau in the pick-and-roll game, and Thiam will be the Wolverines' best rebounder. He notched a double-double against Oregon State and was two rebounds shy of doing so against Houston.
Keeping Thiam out of foul trouble and healthy might be the biggest key for Michigan this season.
Roddy Gayle Jr. boosts scoring
Roddy Gayle Jr. has been with Michigan for some time, but he was finally cleared to play ahead of the Houston game. And to little surprise, he made an immediate impact. Gayle Jr. will start at the wing for Michigan this season, after coming off the bench for the last year and a half for the Wolverines.
Gayle Jr. led Michigan, scoring 14 points against Houston, while making 2-of-5 three-pointers. With Brandon McCoy Jr. going down for the season, Gayle Jr. was a much-needed addition and should be the third scorer the Wolverines can rely on behind Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. He also brings a national-title mindset that can't be taught.
The Bad
3-Point shooting
During Michigan's media day, Mike Boynton Jr. said the Wolverines' identity was going to be scoring the basketball and that Michigan would shoot more threes this season. That's great, but efficiency might be a major concern.
After shooting nearly 39% from three against Eastern Michigan, the Wolverines shot 25% and 27% against Oregon State and Houston, respectively. It's possible that the Wolverines live and die by the three, and that was like Dusty May's first season in Ann Arbor. Michigan could suffer multiple defeats this season if it can't shoot the ball better, or do a better job of playing through the post.
Rebounding concerns
Rebounding was a concern when Michigan played overseas, especially when Moustapha Thiam was hurt minutes into the first game. The Wolverines were +3 in the rebounding battle against Eastern Michigan, and then were -6 and -7 against both Oregon State and Houston, respectively.
Thiam is going to be the best rebounder on the team, and Michigan will need to get more out of J.P. Estrella moving forward. Once Thiam hits the bench, Estrella will likely move to center and Jalen Reed or Quinn Costello will come in at the '4'. Costello is an offensive threat, but not much more at this point. Reed can come in and bang around down low, and that could help the Wolverines' rebounding woes.
Fouls carry over from overseas
Both Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney had foul issues overseas, but with different officiating, it was possible that it was a mirage. However, in the last two games, Michigan has racked up 22 and 25 fouls, respectively.
McKenney fouled out against Oregon State, while Cadeau had four fouls. Against Houston, Cadeau fouled out, and J.P. Estrella had four fouls. It's clear that Michigan is going to play physical and Mike Boynton Jr. will have to adjust so his star players don't get into early foul trouble. The Wolverines aren't going to be super deep this season, and keeping Cadeau, McKenney, and Estrella out of foul trouble is imperative.
Sign up for the Michigan Wolverines on SI newsletter for more free coverage
Add us as a preferred source on Google