Michigan has spent much of the preseason trying to recapture the edge it showed on the glass during last season’s national championship run, and the early returns have been uneven.
The No. 16 Wolverines have lost the rebounding battle in two of their three exhibition games, a stretch that has exposed a problem they can’t ignore before the regular season begins. Michigan has been giving up too many second-chance chances while struggling to generate enough of its own.
“I think we have to be able to get some more second-chance points,” graduate guard Roddy Gayle Jr. said Friday. “Our wings have to be able to get out there, get down, and get some extra chance points.”
The most obvious warning sign came against No. 10 Houston, which beat Michigan on the boards by 12 rebounds.
That kind of result is not exactly a shock when the opponent is coached by Kelvin Sampson, whose teams are known for their physical approach and yearly strength on the glass. Still, the Wolverines were outworked in a way that showed how far they have to go.
The bigger concern came in the second exhibition game against Oregon State. Michigan was beaten 37-29 on the boards and allowed 10 offensive rebounds, turning those extra chances into 10 second-chance points for the Beavers.
The encouraging part for Michigan is that the frontcourt has not been the main issue. Junior center Moustapha Thiam grabbed 10 rebounds against Oregon State and added eight against Houston, while graduate forward J.P.
Estrella posted seven boards against the Beavers and five against the Cougars. That points the spotlight elsewhere, likely onto the backcourt and wings, where Michigan needs more buy-in.
Gayle’s comments reflected that reality, and the exhibition slate may have served a purpose beyond the final scores. Games against physical teams can reveal the weak spots quickly, and Michigan has seen enough to know what needs cleaning up.
“There’s no question in my mind when March comes around, Houston will have a small number by their name,” Boynton said. “That’s where the bar is. All the games we played prior to this were all valuable.”
Michigan did show a better version of itself against Eastern Michigan, where senior guard Elliot Cadeau took control on the glass with a game-high seven rebounds. The Wolverines won the rebounding battle in that game and gave up only five offensive rebounds, a noticeable improvement from the 10 against Oregon State and the 13 against Houston.
The Wolverines do not necessarily need to overpower opponents on the boards the way they did a year ago. What they do appear to have is a dangerous offense, one that can shoot its way through plenty of games. But if Michigan can pair that perimeter firepower with better work on the glass, it will give itself a much cleaner path to turning good possessions into great ones.
In Other News...
Michigans Next AD Could Decide More Than Wolverines Fans Realize
Warde Manuels decision to step down at the end of December has opened one of the biggest jobs in college sports, and Michigans search for its next athletic director figures to carry more weight than a routine personnel move. The Wolverines are going to hire someone who will inherit not just a broad department, but a football program already under heavy scrutiny, which means this choice could shape the schools direction well beyond the administrative side of the office.
Among the names expected to surface are Candice Story Lee of Vanderbilt, Katie Fraumann with Michigan ties, and UConns David Benedict, each bringing a different background to a decision that may be judged as much by what happens on the football sidelines as in the athletic department. However the search unfolds, the new AD will arrive with immediate pressure to evaluate the current state of the program and decide how much patience, or urgency, is warranted. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan's Slide Is Turning Heat Up On Two Key Coaches
Michigans search for a new athletic director is unfolding against the backdrop of a frustrating 2026 football season, and the ripple effects are already being felt around the program. As the Wolverines try to steady things off the field, attention has shifted to the staff on it, where offensive coordinator Jason Beck has drawn criticism for his playcalling while the broader mood around the program has grown more uneasy.
Jon Jansen added to that pressure this week by saying that firing Beck would not be an overreaction given how the team has played. Meanwhile, a media report says support for head coach Kyle Whittingham is at an all-time low, a sign that the stakes around Michigans next decisions are getting harder to ignore as the season continues to spiral. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Heads To Rutgers With Its Identity Under Real Pressure
Michigan heads to Rutgers still trying to sort out what kind of offense it really wants to be after an overtime loss to Indiana left plenty of questions hanging over the program. The trip gives Michigan a chance to reset against a defense that has struggled against the run, which at least opens a door for the Wolverines to steady themselves on that side of the ball and get back to leaning on the physical identity that has long defined them.
But the larger issue is broader than one matchup. Michigan is still facing uncertainty at quarterback, looking for a more reliable rushing attack, and waiting to see how offensive coordinator adjustments and offensive line play hold up under pressure. After a string of close losses, the bigger test may not be Rutgers at all so much as whether this group can show the kind of resilience that keeps a season from slipping into frustration. [Read more 🡒]