Michigan basketball writer Tony Garcia breaks down three things we learned about the Wolverines in their 87-62 exhibition win over Eastern Michigan, the team's first appearance of the 2026-27 season.
1. Backcourt the offensive engine
From Elliot Cadeau throwing a lob to Moustapha Thiam two seconds into the game, to Trey McKenney taking seven of the team's first 14 shots, the assumption that the offense will run through its guards seems like a safe one.
Fortunately, U-M has two good ones, each with clear roles. Cadeau is the conductor, as he will have the ball in his hands often looking to facilitate for others. After his feed to Thiam, he hit McKenney off a flare-screen for a 3-pointer, then found JP Estrella for another long ball to go up 8-0 early. Frequently, he and Thiam would
operate in pick-and-roll, he'd turn the corner and get downhill before throwing a no-look pass to the right corner for a 3-point attempt (a number of which missed on this day but were open).
There were some learning moments − like his back-door bounce pass to Thiam that stayed too low for the 7-foot-3 big man to handle − but those will happen, especially this early in the year. He can still fill it up, too, and did so by scoring six straight in the final minute of the first half when U-M had given up a 10-0 run.
Cadeau finished with 10 points, eight assists and seven rebounds.
McKenney, meanwhile, had a green light brighter than the Eagles' jerseys. He scored a team-high 21 points on 13 shots and was clearly given license to take shots he likely wouldn't have last season with so many other scorers on the floor. While he a microwave scorer as a freshman, he will be used as this team's top option on the attack and likely lead the team in scoring this season.
He filled it up at all three levels, with reverse layups, fadeaways in the mid range and three 3-pointers.
2. Michigan has another dynamic big man in Moustapha Thiam
His stat line wasn't eye-popping with 11 points and five rebounds, but Thiam had flashes of someone who can change a game. As former coach Dusty May liked to say, his "gravity" on the court pulled defenders into the paint with hedges and doubles, which left shooters open in the corner frequently.
He and Cadeau seemed on the same page most of the time in the pick-and-roll, and he's more athletic than one might believe for a 7-3 center. He handled the ball outside of the arc multiple times, including once where he put the ball on the deck and hit a spin move but didn't quite finish the floater. In the second half, he got the ball at the right elbow, put his back to the basket and hit a pump fake before finishing an and-one hook. Impressively, he made six of his seven free-throw attempts on the day.
He also showed vision, finding McKenney on a back-door bounce pass for a layup and another to Ricky Liburd for a slam and a lob to Estrella for a bunny in the second half. But his greatest impact was on defense.
Thiam walled off the rim all afternoon, finishing with four blocks and more than half-dozen other shots that he altered. Like last year with Aday Mara, opponents will need to think twice when entering the paint − even when he's not blocking shots, the mental state for a shooter knowing he has to change his shot selection is a benefit for U-M's defense.
3. Miscellaneous thoughts on the rest
Quinn Costello, U-M's remaining healthy McDonald's All-American, might be the team's most pure shooter and went 4 of 8 from long range on the afternoon and finished second on the team with 16 points. He even showed his length on defense in the first half, swiping a steal at midcourt and going coast-to-coast for a slam, a welcomed sign that he will be an impact player this season.
JP Estrella was in early foul trouble but showed the expanded range Mike Boynton Jr. talked about earlier in the week at Big Ten media days, knocking down two 3-pointers. U-M went an impressive 12 for 30 from 3 on the day.
The returners who were expected to take a notable step, Oscar Goodman and Liburd, didn't on this day. Liburd played just 10 minutes in the first half and didn't see the court in the second half. Goodman, meanwhile, missed all three of his shots and the Wolverines were minus-7 when Goodman was on the court. Only backup point guard Kenny Noland, who didn't impress much, had a worse rate at minus-11.
Joseph Hartmann made a few freshman mistakes but made his case for some time on the wing. He drilled a pair of 3-pointers, made 4-of-5 attempts for 10 points and showed good vision on a back-door feed to Costello for a late slam.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 3 things we learned from Michigan basketball's exhibition win over Eastern Michigan
