What We Learned from Houston Basketball's Exhibition Win over Michigan

Houston Cougars basketball is around the corner, and the regular season officially begins on Nov. 2 at Fertitta Center against La Salle. However, it's currently exhibition season.

No. 10-ranked Houston took a trip up to Grand Rapids, Mich., for an exhibition game against the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines on Sunday afternoon. While the score doesn't matter at all, Houston did win 83-66 and outscored Michigan by 10 in the first half.

While the Wolverines are the defending national champions, this is a completely different team led by a new coach in Mike Boynton Jr., who has been an assistant coach with the program since 2024. Coaches usually try new things during an exhibition and players get more of a hang during a game setting.

This game will be particularly valuable to Houston with four new starters and a new-look bench. The Cougars have already played in one exhibition game, which was on Oct. 15 at home against Montana Tech. Houston won that 110-53. The Cougars also had a scrimmage against Ole Miss prior to that.

UH got much more of a test in this exhibition, and there were a lot of positives to take away.

Houston Shows Promise

Jojo block ➡️ Mercy 3

📺: B1G+ | #ForTheCity pic.twitter.com/0Frnyypv9l
— Houston Men's Hoops 🏀 🐾 (@UHCougarMBK) October 25, 2026

Houston's New Point Guard, Dedan Thomas Jr.

The Cougars are now led at point guard by the senior transfer, Thomas Jr. He put up a great game as the leading scorer in the game with 25 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and two steals with just two turnovers.

Thomas was 57 percent (eight out of 14) overall from the field and also was nine out of 11 from the free-throw line. He turned defense into offense and continuously attacked the basket. Thomas also made some nice shots in the paint and in the mid-range. That versatility, along with the ability to make nice passes, can take Houston far.

Homecoming for Gillespie

Houston's new big man in senior forward Delrecco Gillespie, is expected to play a huge part this season alongside senior Joseph Tugler. Gillespie is from Benton Harbor, Mich., which is about 80 miles away from Grand Rapids. It was a sort of return home for Gillespie, who posted 16 points, six rebounds, and one block. He made a 3-pointer.

"It's such a blessing to come down to Michigan and have a homecoming against such a great Michigan team," Gillespie said. "My grandmother has never seen me play college basketball in person, so I was happy for that and a bunch of my family was happy to see me again in a Houston uniform."

Typical Houston

The Cougars looked great rebounding the ball and won that battle 42-30 overall. Junior guard Mercy Miller snagged six of his own. Houston looks much stronger in the paint on both sides and outscored Michigan 26-14 in that area. UH is known to be the physical team, and that's exactly how it was on the day.

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