Michigan Men’s Basketball Eyes 11-0 Start as La Salle Comes to Town for Kids Day
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - It’s a full day of hoops and holiday cheer at Crisler Center this Sunday, as Michigan basketball puts both of its nationally ranked squads on display. The No. 2-ranked men’s team returns home riding a perfect 10-0 start, hosting La Salle at 4 p.m. ET in the second leg of a doubleheader that opens with the No. 6-ranked women’s team facing Oakland at noon.
Sunday’s men’s matchup is more than just another non-conference tilt - it’s Kids Day, part of the Wolverine Kids Club series, with family-friendly promotions and bonus loyalty points for young fans in attendance. But make no mistake: this game matters. Michigan’s early-season form has been nothing short of dominant, and they’ll look to keep that momentum rolling into the holiday break.
A Rare Matchup, Nearly 50 Years in the Making
Michigan and La Salle have only crossed paths once before, and you have to go back to 1975 to find it. That game, played at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic, saw the then-16th-ranked Wolverines knock off the Explorers 86-71. That Michigan squad went on to reach the national championship game before falling to an unbeaten Indiana team that ran the table at 32-0.
Fast forward to today, and this year’s Wolverines are off to a similarly blazing start. Their 10-0 record marks just the sixth time in program history they’ve opened a season with double-digit wins.
The last time they did it? 2020-21 - a season that ended with a Big Ten title and a trip to the Elite Eight.
Offense Firing on All Cylinders
Michigan isn’t just winning - they’re putting up video game numbers. The Wolverines are averaging 94.7 points per game, tops in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.
They’ve already cracked the 100-point mark five times, including a 101-point outburst at Maryland. A huge part of that success comes from the frontcourt, where the trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara has been a force.
Together, they’re contributing nearly 40 points a night - over 40% of the team’s total scoring.
Ball movement has been another hallmark of this group. Michigan leads the entire country in assists per game at 21.3, and they’ve topped 25 assists in three of their last four outings.
Freshman point guard Elliot Cadeau is the engine behind it all, dishing out 6.1 assists per game. He’s posted two double-digit assist games in his last five appearances, including a 12-point, 10-assist performance at Maryland - the first point-assist double-double by a Wolverine in nearly four years.
Cadeau’s efficiency has been elite. Over his last five games, he’s racked up 37 assists against just nine turnovers.
That’s a 4-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, a number that would make any coach smile. He’s also been Michigan’s most consistent threat from beyond the arc, hitting at least one three-pointer in every game this season.
He added two more in College Park, giving him six triples last week alone.
Veteran Depth Making a Difference
While Cadeau and the frontcourt trio have headlined the stat sheets, Michigan’s depth has been just as critical. Roddy Gayle Jr., coming off the bench, has been a steady contributor with 10.8 points per game on an efficient 55.6% shooting clip. He’s also adding 3.6 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and just over a steal per game - all in just over 22 minutes a night.
Aday Mara, meanwhile, has been a defensive anchor. The 7-footer leads both Michigan and the Big Ten with 27 blocks on the season, good for 2.78 per game - a number that ranks 12th nationally.
He’s recorded at least one block in every game and has had multiple swats in eight of them. On the boards, he leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per contest, giving Michigan a reliable interior presence on both ends of the floor.
A Familiar Face on the Broadcast
Sunday’s game will be streamed live on Peacock, with Paul Sunderland and Tim McCormick on the call. McCormick, a Michigan alum and La Salle grad, brings a unique perspective to the broadcast. The Clarkston, Mich., native played for the Wolverines from 1980 to 1984, helping lead the team to an NIT championship and earning MVP honors in the process.
After being selected 12th overall in the 1984 NBA Draft, McCormick played eight seasons in the league with six different franchises. These days, he’s a respected voice in the basketball world, serving as an analyst at both the college and NBA levels - and on Sunday, he’ll be back where it all started.
Final Word
Michigan is rolling, plain and simple. The offense is humming, the defense is disruptive, and the chemistry is growing with every game.
Sunday’s matchup against La Salle is another chance to fine-tune before the grind of Big Ten play kicks into full gear. For fans - especially the younger ones in the Kids Club - it’s a chance to see one of the nation’s most exciting teams up close.
Tip-off is set for 4 p.m. at Crisler Center. If the Wolverines keep playing the way they have, they might just give the home crowd another early holiday gift.