Michigan’s second game of its foreign tour turned into another test of depth, and the Wolverines came up short again, falling 82-77 to Lithuania’s B Team on Monday.
That result dropped Michigan to 0-2 on the trip, and it came with a roster that was already thin before tipoff. Jalen Reed, Ricky Liburd, and Lincoln Cosby had all missed the first game against Lithuania’s national team, and on Monday the Wolverines were also without Trey McKenney and Moustapha Thiam. Ricky Liburd sat out for the second straight game.
With so many pieces unavailable, Michigan leaned heavily on youth. The starting five was Elliot Cadeau, Brandon McCoy Jr., Oscar Goodman, J.P. Estrella, and Quinn Costello.
The bench didn’t offer much help. Michigan got only seven points from its reserves, and six of those came from Joseph Hartman. Even so, the Wolverines stayed in the fight until the final minutes of the fourth quarter, and the five-point margin left the sense that a fuller lineup might have changed the outcome.
Costello’s role stood out again, even with a quieter shooting night than he had Sunday. After pouring in a team-high 17 points off the bench in the opener, he started Monday and finished with nine points while making 27% of his three-point attempts.
His shooting touch remains a real weapon, and Mike Boynton Jr. used him in different spots, including stretches with three bigs on the floor alongside J.P. Estrella and Marcus Moller.
Costello’s ability to stretch the floor gives Michigan options, and even if Kenny Noland and Roddy Gayle Jr. are available later, he should still carve out minutes.
Cadeau took on more of the offensive load with McKenney out and jumped out quickly, scoring 10 points early while hitting a pair of triples. He ended up leading Michigan with 19 points, but foul trouble once again cut into his night. He fouled out against Lithuania’s national team on Sunday, and on Monday he was sitting with four fouls in the fourth quarter before fouling out again.
That’s the line Michigan will need to manage once the games count. Cadeau has the burst and now the outside shot to be dangerous, but his defense and discipline have to hold up.
Estrella also made his presence felt. He had been one of the four starters to hit the bench early on Sunday because of fouls, but Monday gave him a bigger platform, and Michigan made a point of getting him the ball early and often. He finished with 17 points and seven rebounds, and he showed enough touch from three to hint at a larger shooting role this season.
McCoy Jr. had a more uneven night. After looking the part in stretches on Sunday, he was asked to handle the ball more than Michigan wanted because of the foul issues around him.
Monday was cleaner in that regard, but his shooting was not: he turned it over three times and went just 33% from the field while taking 15 shots. The talent is obvious, but his shot selection stood out in a bad way.
For Michigan, the encouraging part is that these are the kinds of issues that can be cleaned up. For now, though, the trip has been a reminder of how much the Wolverines are asking of a young, short-handed group.
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