Michigan’s trip to the TD Garden on Friday night was supposed to be a measuring-stick game, a chance to see how the Wolverines stacked up in a national championship rematch with UCONN. Instead, it turned into a reminder that this version of Michigan still has some rough edges to sand down.
The Wolverines fell 85-77 after a night defined by turnovers and a cold shooting stretch from deep. Michigan also had to deal with a first half that went sideways quickly, leaving it in a 13-point hole by halftime.
That early deficit had a lot to do with Trey McKenney, who didn’t score in the opening half and couldn’t get anything going against the Huskies’ defense. He went 0-7 from the field before the break, including missing two free throws after Dan Hurley was tagged with a technical foul.
Then came the flip side. McKenney erupted after halftime and almost dragged Michigan all the way back by himself.
He scored 22 points on 8-11 shooting in the second half, knocking down four 3-pointers and helping cut the margin to single digits. At one point late in the game, he had more points than the rest of the Wolverines combined.
The rest of the team eventually chipped in, with Michigan scoring 25 in the second half, but most of that damage came after the outcome had already started to settle in. McKenney gave the Wolverines a shot, but the bigger issue is finding that kind of production from him more consistently.
JP Estrella was one of the few bright spots for Michigan on a night when the front court didn’t do much else. He finished with 19 points and nine rebounds, going 6-7 from the floor and 7-8 at the line.
After posting a double-double in his first game as a Wolverine, he nearly repeated the feat and continued what has been a strong start to the season. So far, he’s been the best new addition on the roster.
Roddy Gayle Jr. also continued to show why his availability matters so much for this team. After an offseason clouded by uncertainty, he has been a major lift since getting on the floor.
Gayle scored 18 points in 31 minutes, hit all six of his free throws, and kept bringing the kind of energy Michigan will lean on all season. The one concern: he was 0-3 from 3-point range, which may become a talking point if that shot doesn’t come around.
For Michigan, the backcourt picture is still a work in progress. McKenney and Elliot Cadeau are supposed to carry the scoring load early, and the Wolverines can’t really afford for either one to disappear for long stretches.
Cadeau had another tough shooting night, finishing 3-11 for eight points with three assists and five turnovers. He also spent much of the second half in foul trouble before fouling out.
That’s the problem for Michigan right now. A season ago, the Wolverines had enough scoring around those guards to absorb an off night. This team doesn’t have that same cushion.
The debut of Thiam also came with mixed results. He played 15 minutes, scored once on 1-3 shooting, and finished with two turnovers and four fouls.
He had been out Tuesday night because of an illness, so there’s some room to give him a pass early. Still, Michigan will need more from him soon, especially with Marquette coming Wednesday before conference play takes over.
The bench didn’t offer much help either. Of the five reserves who checked in, only two made a shot from the floor. Ricky Liburd hit a late garbage-time 3-pointer to avoid a scoreless night, while Kenny Noland had one assist in six minutes and Jalen Reed finished with an empty stat line in four minutes.
Quinn Costello did connect on one 3-pointer, but overall Michigan’s perimeter shooting was a problem all night. The Wolverines went 7-28 from beyond the arc, and that kind of output isn’t going to be enough in games like this.
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