How the exhibition vs Houston can prepare Michigan Basketball for a tough non-conference slate

It’s important for sports teams to test themselves against fierce competition before a season starts. Intrasquad scrimmages are nothing like a real college basketball game.

The No. 16 Michigan Wolverines got as real of a college basketball game as possible on Sunday, facing preseason No. 10 Houston at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids. After a back-and-forth first half, Houston pulled away in the second half to win handily, 83-66. The Cougars executed well on both ends, while Michigan struggled to hit enough threes to climb back into the game.

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“What a great opportunity for our team to play against what’s been one of the premier programs in the country for the better part of a decade,” Boynton said after the loss. “We also learned a lot about ourselves. We have a talented team right now. We play good basketball in spurts, which obviously wasn’t good enough against an elite team today.”

Houston has made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the past seven NCAA tournaments, including a Final Four appearance in 2021, an Elite Eight appearance in 2022 and a National Championship appearance in 2025. A mainstay at the top of the tournament since Kelvin Sampson got there in 2014, the Cougars play a physical brand of basketball that slows you down and wears you out. They are to college basketball what the Iowa Hawkeyes are to college football, if the Hawkeyes had much more postseason success.

Michigan prepared for that physicality, but good preparation doesn’t always lead to results. The Wolverines got out-rebounded for the second exhibition in a row and turned the ball over four more times than the Cougars. That’s not a recipe for success against a team that doesn’t make mistakes.

“It is Houston, and they pride themselves in (toughness and grit), so I feel like we did better, but it wasn’t good enough,” said Roddy Gayle Jr., who led Michigan with 14 points. “And I think that we will break down the film and learn from different areas that we feel like we need to be better at. And we…

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Publish date : 2026-10-27 14:00:00

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