No. 4 Connecticut wasted little time setting the tone, and No. 16 Michigan spent the rest of the night trying to keep pace.
The Huskies rode a hot start from their guards and held off a determined Wolverines push for an 85-77 win, improving to 2-0 while Michigan fell to 1-1. UConn’s perimeter game came alive early, and once the shots started falling, the Huskies kept finding answers every time Michigan threatened to close the gap.
Junior center Moustapha Thiam gave Michigan the first jolt of the game by securing the opening tip and finishing the first basket. But UConn quickly settled into its rhythm from the outside, moving ahead 13-9 as the Huskies began to spread the floor and let the guards work.
Braylon Mullins got the first burst going. He hit two 3-pointers in the first five minutes and helped fuel the early surge, building on his 43% accuracy from beyond the arc. Not long after, Mullins and Silas Demary Jr. had combined for 20 of UConn’s first 25 points, a stretch that put Michigan on the back foot before the game was even fully set.
Michigan answered with its own guard play. Senior Elliot Cadeau and graduate Roddy Gayle Jr. kept the Wolverines within reach, with Gayle’s cutting and Cadeau’s all-around aggression giving Michigan a way to stay attached. Cadeau attacked from every level, and the Wolverines kept hanging around even as UConn continued to fire away.
Still, the Huskies had the edge in the guard battle. Mullins found ways to contribute beyond scoring, beating Thiam on the glass early, while Demary added a rebound against graduate forward J.P.
Estrella. With Michigan’s top shooters quiet, UConn kept building its cushion and went into halftime up 43-30.
The second half opened with more of the same. UConn stayed aggressive from the arc and kept drawing trips to the line, stretching the lead to 52-34 just five minutes in. Michigan needed a spark, and it finally got one from sophomore guard Trey McKenney.
McKenney had been held scoreless in the first half, but he came out firing after the break, knocking down two 3-pointers in two minutes. He kept it going from there, turning into Michigan’s biggest second-half threat and helping trim the deficit to as few as nine points. His run gave the Wolverines life and kept the game from slipping away completely.
But UConn never lost control for long. Mullins and Demary stayed locked in, continuing to score from all over the floor while the Huskies’ frontcourt made life difficult on the other end. Michigan struggled to generate clean looks, and with five minutes left, Thiam and Estrella had only one and three offensive rebounds, respectively.
The Wolverines never found the stretch they needed. Even with the guard duel keeping the score within reach, Michigan couldn’t turn its moments into momentum.
The frontcourt was pinned back, the offense got crowded, and the runs just never came. UConn outshot Michigan and closed out the 85-77 victory.
For both teams, the title-game stage is still fresh in the memory. On this night, though, Connecticut looked like the group carrying that sting a little harder - and using it.
In Other News...
Michigan Just Got A Needed Recruiting Win At The Right Time
Michigan picked up a timely boost on the recruiting trail when Xavier Muhammad, one of the more highly regarded defensive line prospects in the 2027 class, reaffirmed his commitment to the Wolverines and passed on official visits to other programs, including Texas. For a program that always has to balance on-field priorities with long-term roster building, keeping a player of Muhammads caliber in the fold matters, especially as the season winds down and recruiting momentum starts to take shape.
Muhammad is still expected to make it to Ann Arbor for Michigans final home game of the season, a good sign that the relationship remains strong even with other schools trying to stay in the mix. His pledge also gives the Wolverines another important piece in a class that is already helping shape how the 2027 rankings look, and it leaves Michigan in position to keep pushing for more stability on the defensive front. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Added A Famous Wolverine To Rivalry Week
Rivalry week already has enough built-in theater, but Michigan added a little more with a celebrity nod that fits the moment. The program announced that actor Hugh Jackman will be part of the buildup for the Wolverines' game against Michigan State, and he showed clear excitement in a social media post and video shared by the team.
The matchup is set for Michigan Stadium, with Peacock and NBCSN carrying the broadcast, so the stage is already big enough without any extra help. Still, bringing in a famous Wolverine gives the rivalry another layer of buzz, and it is the kind of detail that tends to travel quickly once the pregame attention starts to build. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Showed Something Against UConn That Wolverines Fans Will Notice
Michigans trip to TD Garden ended with an 85-77 loss to UConn, but the Wolverines still left with something to build on in a rematch of the 2026 national championship. Trey McKenney was the headliner for Michigan, pouring in a career-high 22 points and giving the Wolverines a scoring punch they needed against a high-level opponent.
J.P. Estrella and Roddy Gayle Jr. also made meaningful contributions, which mattered in a game that asked Michigan to answer when UConn pushed the pace and the pressure. The result still counts in the loss column, but the performance offered a glimpse of what this group can be when it is balanced and aggressive, and now the attention shifts to a home date with Marquette. [Read more 🡒]