Michigan basketball enters the season with a national title next to its name, but the respect from the AP voters didn’t match that reality. The Wolverines landed at No. 16 in Monday’s preseason poll, a spot that suggests plenty of people still aren’t fully buying in.
That feels light for a team fresh off one of the most decorated NCAA Tournament runs, especially after Michigan won the Big Ten and then rolled to a national championship. Even so, this version of the Wolverines will look different.
Dusty May is gone, the three-headed monster is gone, and the roster has a new shape under promoted head coach Mike Boynton Jr. Still, Michigan kept important pieces in place, and that’s where the case for a deeper preseason look starts.
The biggest reason the Wolverines may be sleeping on is the backcourt. Michigan lost Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr., but it kept Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney.
Both were in the background a season ago, and both have already shown flashes of the kind of ceiling that can change a team’s outlook fast. McKenney and Cadeau are expected to be Michigan’s top scorers this season, and both have looked dominant in the Wolverines’ exhibition games.
McKenney, in particular, looks ready for a breakout that could end up being the biggest of anyone on the roster.
That shift matters because Michigan’s identity has changed. Last season, the frontcourt drove the engine.
This year, it’s the guards. Cadeau and McKenney give the Wolverines a new foundation, and they’re set to shape what this team becomes in Boynton’s first season.
The portal also gave Michigan a major piece to build around in center Amahly Thiam. The Cincinnati transfer was one of the best players available for a reason.
He can stretch the floor and knock down the triple, but he also brings real force around the rim. Thiam led the Big 12 in blocks in his freshman season, then ranked among the nation’s best in that area last season at Cincinnati.
Michigan could run into rebounding issues this year, but when Thiam is on the floor, that problem should be easier to manage.
He isn’t Aday Mara, but he has the tools to become an elite center at Michigan and enough of Mara’s shot-blocking ability to matter right away.
The other swing factor is Roddy Gayle Jr. Losing freshman Brandon McCoy Jr. to a torn ACL was a brutal blow, especially with McCoy Jr. likely set to start at wing. But Michigan got Gayle Jr. back in the mix, and if eligibility is cleared, he gives the Wolverines something valuable: a player with a national-championship mindset, strong defense, and a reliable deep shot.
Gayle Jr. has not played in either of Michigan’s exhibition games while the Wolverines wait for his eligibility ruling. Mike Boynton Jr. hopes to have that sorted in the coming days. If it does get resolved, Michigan gets another important piece back in the mix just as the season gets going.
In Other News...
Bryce Underwood Just Put Michigans Quarterback Future On Edge
Bryce Underwoods status has suddenly become one of the biggest talking points around Michigan, after the Wolverines made the move to bench him in favor of Tommy Carr for the upcoming game. Underwood arrived with enormous expectations and an NIL package reportedly worth more than $10 million, so any shift in his role carries immediate weight for the programs short- and long-term plans.
Underwood has not been confirmed as a portal entrant, but the possibility is enough to send the speculation machine into overdrive given how heavily Michigan invested in him. If he does decide to move on, familiar recruiting ties and roster needs would make places like LSU, Miami, Texas Tech, Georgia, and Kentucky worth watching closely, which is exactly why this situation feels so sensitive for a Wolverines team trying to protect its quarterback future. [Read more 🡒]
Michigans Offense Just Took A Turn Fans Need To Watch
Michigans offense got a fresh jolt on Sunday when the coaching staff settled on Tommy Carr as the starting quarterback, a move confirmed by sources and noticed by other coaches around the program. It gives the Wolverines a clearer direction under center at a time when every bit of stability matters, and it comes alongside a few other roster developments that could shape how the offense looks moving forward.
Jeremiah Earby, the former Boise State cornerback, is now officially on the Michigan roster and eligible to play right away, adding another experienced piece to the secondary. The future also got a little brighter when three-star receiver Yuto Kawamura-Johnson flipped his commitment from Toledo to Michigan for the 2027 class, a reminder that the staff is still working to build depth even as the focus shifts to the present. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Just Got A Tough New Bryce Underwood Reality
The quarterback conversation around Michigan has taken another turn, and it comes with a familiar name weighing in. Urban Meyer said on Outkick that Tommy Carr has positioned himself to be the starting quarterback over Bryce Underwood, pointing to Carrs performance and the way his game fits a similar offensive style. It is the kind of evaluation that keeps the focus on fit as much as talent, especially with a player like Underwood already drawing attention.
Meyer also made it clear this is not a knock on Underwoods ability. He described the young quarterback as talented and engaged, while noting that his role in the offense still has to be sorted out. Meyer added that he stays in regular contact with Kyle Whittingham, a detail that only adds to the sense that this is a developing situation rather than a settled one. [Read more 🡒]