Michigan’s title defense starts Monday night with a familiar opponent waiting at Crisler Center.
The No. 16 Wolverines open the 2026-27 season against Oakland at 6 p.m. on Nov. 2, with the game set for a national television audience on Big Ten Network. It’s the first game of a new era in Ann Arbor, with first-year head coach Mike Boynton Jr. making his official debut after taking over on July 1.
Michigan is coming off one of the most decorated seasons in program history. The Wolverines went 37-3, set a program record for wins, captured their second NCAA championship and added their 16th Big Ten title. They also went 19-1 in conference play, ran the table in true road games at 11-0 and beat UConn 69-63 to secure their first national championship since 1989.
The opener also carries a strong historical trend for Michigan. The Wolverines are 90-20 in season openers and have won 23 in a row dating back to the 2002-03 season.
At Crisler Center, they haven’t dropped an opener since a 68-63 loss to Western Michigan on Nov. 15, 1997.
Boynton steps into the job after serving on last season’s championship staff, taking over once Dusty May left to become head coach of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks. He inherits a roster that still has some championship DNA, starting with senior guard Elliot Cadeau, the 2026 NCAA Final Four Most Outstanding Player, and sophomore guard Trey McKenney. Both were selected to the preseason All-Big Ten team, and Roddy Gayle Jr. is back for his fifth college season.
Michigan also rebuilt around that core. The Wolverines brought in four transfers - J.P. Estrella from Tennessee, Jalen Reed from LSU, Moustapha Thiam from Cincinnati and Kenny Noland from Columbia - along with six freshmen.
That turnover comes on the heels of major departures. Michigan lost three NBA Draft lottery picks in Morez Johnson Jr. at No. 9, Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 and Aday Mara at No. 12, the first time in program history that three Wolverines went in the lottery in the same draft.
Before the opener, Michigan tested itself in three exhibitions and went 2-1. The Wolverines beat Eastern Michigan 87-62 and Oregon State 98-93 before dropping an 83-66 decision to No. 10 Houston.
Oakland comes in as the latest team trying to crack the Wolverines in a season opener, and it’s a matchup with plenty of history. The teams are meeting in an opener for the sixth time and for the second straight year. Michigan owns a 9-1 lead in the all-time series and has won four of the five previous season-opening meetings.
The Golden Grizzlies were picked fourth in the Horizon League preseason poll and return only two players who saw action last season: Nassim Mashhour and Warren Marshall IV. Oakland also added a batch of transfers, including Belal El Shakery from New Hampshire, Chris Fields Jr. from Campbell and RJ Taylor from Northern Iowa, as it works to rebuild its roster.
Greg Kampe remains the constant in Rochester. He is entering his 43rd season and stands as the longest-tenured active Division I men’s basketball head coach.
Kampe has been with Oakland since 1984, oversaw the program’s rise from Division II to Division I and has taken the Golden Grizzlies to four Division I NCAA Tournament appearances. Their most famous run came in 2024, when they knocked off No. 3 seed Kentucky in the first round.
After Monday night, Michigan’s schedule gets tougher fast. The Wolverines travel to Boston for a rematch of the 2026 national championship game against No.
4 UConn on Friday, Nov. 6, at TD Garden. The Hall of Fame Series Boston game is set for 8 p.m. and will air on TNT and truTV, with streaming on HBO Max.
Brian Anderson will handle play-by-play alongside analyst Grant Hill and sideline reporter Lauren Jbara.
In Other News...
Michigans Opener Could Test One Early Wolverines Concern
Michigans exhibition slate offered a useful early look at what this roster can do when the shots are falling, with sophomore guard Trey McKenney standing out as one of the bright spots. Now the real test arrives quickly, and it comes against an Oakland team that is likely to make the Wolverines work for every clean look by leaning on a zone defense that can bog down even experienced offenses.
Mike Boynton Jr. has pointed to teamwork and smart shot selection as the keys to handling that challenge, which makes this opener more than just a routine tune-up. McKenney, Jalen Reed, Elliot Cadeau and Kenny Noland are all expected to have important roles in keeping Michigan organized against a scheme built to force hesitation, and the way they manage those possessions should say plenty about how ready this group is to open the season. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Fans Still Wont Shake Jay Hills Final Iowa Decision
The final sequence from Michigans Week 4 loss at Iowa is still hanging around, and Jay Hills latest reflection only gives Wolverines fans more to chew on. Michigans defensive coordinator revisited the key call on the Hawkeyes last drive, when a personal foul kept the possession alive and set up the eventual game-winning touchdown, and he said he stood by the decision to use a spy on the quarterback even while acknowledging other options were on the table.
Hill also said he had considered a different call and even the possibility of using a timeout, which is exactly the kind of hindsight that tends to linger after a loss like that. For Michigan, the immediate challenge now is turning the page to Rutgers, but the conversation around that final Iowa series shows how one sequence can keep echoing long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Has No Room For Another Offensive Mess Against Rutgers
Michigans offense has spent too much of this season inviting criticism, and the pressure now follows Jason Beck into a game that feels hard to misread. The Wolverines have been trending poorly in the major statistical categories, and with Rutgers next on the schedule, there is little margin left for another sluggish showing from a unit that has already given the fan base plenty to question.
Tommy Carr, Manuel Beigel, John Henry Daley and Trey Butkowski are among the players who need sharper performances, because Michigan cannot afford to drift through another uneven afternoon on either side of the ball. The matchup brings the usual Big Ten stress, but for this group it also carries a more immediate test: show signs of cleanup now, or keep feeding the doubts that have been building around the offense all season. [Read more 🡒]