Michigan basketball took the floor for the first time this season in an exhibition game against Cincinnati on Friday night. y k j
The Wolverines had some struggles. They trailed by as many as 18 points at one point early in the second half, before rallying in a 100-98 loss.
There were some concerns. The defense will certainy need to be better, however, Michigan basketball also didn't have Illinois transfer Morez Johnson or former UCLA big man Aday Mara.
One of the most promising things about the exhibition game for Michigan basketball was the performance of Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 1 player from the transfer portal. The 6-foot-9 forward showed why with 29 points and 12 rebounds, 25 of which came in the second half.
Yaxel made 10 of 16 shots from the field. He was 2-of-7 from 3-point range and made all nine of his free throw attempts. Roddy Gayle was credited with 18 points. He made two triples, however, he was credited with eight turnovers.
Michigan made nine 3-pointers (9 of 32) but shot 28 percent from 3-point range. The Wolverines made 48 percent of the field, while the Bearcats shot 55 percent overall and 38 percent from three.
New point guard Elliot Cadeau did a great job of attacking the basket. He earned 15 free-throw attempts and was credited with seven assists. Five-star freshman Trey McKenny had one point and didn't make a shot from the field (0-for-7). Another freshman, Winters Grady, made two triples in just 13 minutes of action.
There were 36 turnovers combined and 83 free throws. Fans should be cautious about trying to glean too much from an exhibition. Yet, here are some thoughts after watching the Wolverines.
What we learned in Michigan loss to Cincinnati
- Yaxel Lendeborg is a dude. We knew that, but even with all of the things that went wrong, he scored 29 points, and that's a big positive from this first outing.
- Michigan's defense will be much better with its rim protectors. The 3-point defense wasn't great, and Michigan fouled way too much, but it seems like the refs had quick whistles.
- The Wolverines won the rebounding battle. This will be a physically dominant team when all of the pieces are healthy.
- Michigan is ranked seventh overall. Yet, this game was a reminder that Michigan has a ton of new pieces. Three starters are projected to be new faces, so it will take some time to gel. That's one thing we learned on Friday
- Again, don't overreact to an exhibition game that doesn't count.