Michigan’s second exhibition under new coach Mike Boynton Jr. had a little of everything Friday at Crisler Center: a breakout-level performance from Elliot Cadeau, another loud showing from Moustapha Thiam, and enough defensive slippage to keep things from feeling finished just yet.
The Wolverines beat Oregon State 98-93, and Cadeau was the headliner with 27 points and eight assists. But the biggest development may have been the way Thiam keeps looking like one of the best portal centers in the country. He finished with 19 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and his impact showed up in bursts that changed the shape of the game.
Early in the first half, Thiam stacked together three straight possessions that said plenty about his game: an and-1 on a hook shot, a block at the rim, and then a 3 from the right wing on the next trip. He also flashed more than scoring, finding Trey McKenney on a behind-the-back pass for an easy layup, then dribbling between his legs before stepping into another right-wing 3, and later dropping a lob to J.P.
Estrella for a bucket. In the second half, he added a left-handed layup and forced Oregon State to defend the paint differently.
On one possession, Cadeau had a wide-open floater because the center backed off, worried about Thiam slipping behind him for a lob. When Michigan finally stretched the lead late, it came with Thiam finishing alley-oops from Cadeau.
McKenney looked the part of a player who could push toward first-team All-Big Ten honors. That sounds aggressive until you watched him Friday. He opened Michigan’s 3-point barrage with a tough left-corner leaner less than three minutes into the game, then showed he could get to his spots in other ways too - including a fadeaway from the left elbow and a weak-side cut that set up that behind-the-back feed from Thiam for a clean layup.
The one issue with McKenney was foul trouble. He picked up one before the under-12 media timeout, then got hit with two more less than a minute apart later in the half and sat the final 8:03 before intermission.
Michigan still used a 10-0 burst over 3:44 to open some separation, though Oregon State cut it back to three by halftime. McKenney came back strong after the break, knocking down two free throws, a 3-pointer, a putback, another layup on a goaltend, and then a key midrange jumper that put Michigan up four with 2:29 left.
He finished with 18 points.
Cadeau’s foul trouble opened the door for Kenny Noland, and the Columbia transfer looked much more settled than he did in the opener against Eastern Michigan. Noland had two fouls in less than five minutes on Cadeau and McKenney combined, then gave Michigan useful minutes when it needed them.
He set up Thiam for a layup, then fed Estrella for a 3 on back-to-back possessions before blowing by his man for a right-handed finish on the left side. He also got into the lane for a spinning bucket to make it 43-34, and later assisted on a Quinn Costello 3 that helped give Michigan a five-point cushion after a half that had mostly been played within one possession.
Noland finished with six points and stayed on the floor late alongside Cadeau and McKenney, which matters with Roddy Gayle Jr. still unavailable.
The biggest unfinished piece is on defense. Michigan is without Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Yaxel Lendeborg, and the defensive presence those players brought is already noticeable. Oregon State found easy looks when Michigan lost track of a switch for a wide-open Deshawn Gory 3, beat Costello on a spin move for a layup, and punished a late first-half blitz from Jalen Reed with a swing pass that led to a 3 right before the break.
Still, there were positive defensive flashes. Ricky Liburd opened the game with a steal and transition dunk, Reed later did the same, and Michigan forced 17 turnovers that turned into 31 points. The overall consistency, though, is still a work in progress.
Michigan’s next exhibition comes Sunday, Oct. 25, against Houston in The Battleground 2k26 at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. Tipoff is 1 p.m. on B1G+ and WCSX (94.7).
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