Michigan basketball set a program record for points scored in the first half with 71 on Monday night. It was just that kind of night to open the 2025-26 season.
On the same night that Michigan basketball hung the Big Ten tournament championship banner from last season, the 2025-26 version of the Wolverines put on a show in a 121-78 win.
Yaxel Lendebrg didn't start the game due to a wrist injury. But he scored 12 points in 22 minutes, made both of his 3-point attempts, added four rebounds, and three assists.
Lendeborg was incredibly smooth. Yet, so were the other transfers. Morez Johnson was dominant in the paint. He had some incredible low-post buckets and flashed some real development along the interior. Johnson scored a team-high 24 points to go along with three assists, three rebounds, and a block.
Speaking of transfer centers, Aday Mara was unstoppable, too, with 12 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks. He made 6 of 9 from the field, and looks even better than advertised. Elliot Cadeau fits that description.
Cadeau controlled the game. He only scored five points but had 12 assists as Michigan assisted on 21 of its 39 buckets as it scored 121 points, scoring a whopping 1.56 points per possession.
Michigan basketball made 19 3-pointers. Trey McKenney, the five-star freshman, hit six! It was incredible. There were only nine turnovers and Michigan shot 64 percent from the field overall, 54 percent from 3-point range, and 92 percent at the free throw line.
The Wolverines only got four offensive rebounds, the same as Oakland, but Michigan just didn't miss. Hell, it was over the century mark with two TV timeouts to spare. Six different players made 3-point field goals. Seven different Wolverines scored in double figures, which included 55 points off the bench.
It was just Oakland. But Michigan looked exactly like you'd want a Final Four team to look like in its first game.