5 Immediate Takeaways From Michigan Basketball's Tough Loss to Lithuania's National Team

Michigan began its foreign tour on Sunday with a game against Lithuania's men's national team. It was the first of three games overseas for Mike Boynton Jr.'s team.

The Wolverines didn't miss a beat in the first half and looked like the dominant national title team from a season ago. However, fouls got in the way, and Michigan suffered a second-half collapse. Lithuania would come away with a 96-84 win over the Wolverines.

Here are a few immediate takeaways from the action.

First-half dominance, second-half fouls

We wondered how Michigan might look without Dusty May and losing several key players from the national title team. There is no Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, or Morez Johnson Jr, along with other role players.

But that didn't matter. Michigan came out firing and even looked impressive after Moustapha Thiam had to go out after playing for a little under six minutes. Michigan took a 12-point lead into halftime

But that was the first half. With five minutes left in the first half, the vets were on the bench with foul issues. Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, and J.P. Estrella sat and it made for a long third quarter full of freshmen and Oscar Goodman on the court.

Lithuania took a lead heading into the fourth quarter and then Estrella would ultimately foul out, later followed by Cadeau and McKenney.

With all the youth on the court, Michigan finished with a whopping 27 turnovers in the game. Not having the veterans were costly for the Wolverines' chances to win.

Brandon McCoy Jr. was impressive

Freshman mistakes are going to happen, it was Brandon McCoy Jr.'s first game for Michigan, but boy, did he look like a five-star out there. McCoy Jr. suffered from turning the ball over six times in the game, however, you can see the talent is sky-high.

Coaches and spectators who have seen McCoy Jr. in action since arriving in Ann Arbor have praised his athletic ability and his ability to play defense. Both of those were on full display against Lithuania.

E3 | LTU 75, UM 71

Brandon McCoy is up to a team-best 12 points on the night. Wolverine freshmen have combined for 37 points so far. pic.twitter.com/vquh0IBl2A
— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) August 23, 2026

McCoy Jr. attacked the rim, had an outstanding and-one, used his speed and length to disrupt Lithuania's offense. He should only trend up, and he's going to be hard to take off the court.

He finished the game with 14 points.

Hartman, Moller, and Costello could play in 2026-27

With Moustapha Thiam exiting early, scoring six points, it allowed both Marcus Moller and Quinn Costello to see early playing time. And with Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau getting into foul trouble, Joseph Hartman saw a lot of action.

And did they impress. All three players can make shots. Both Moller and Costello impressed with their deep shot and Hartman made a few nice moves on the offensive end to create his own shot. Costello would end up leading Michigan with 17 points.

Ricky Liburd didn't suit up, and once he's healthy(?) that will take some time away from Hartman, but all three looked the part and could carve out a role for Michigan this season.

Backup point guard might be a work in progress

Michigan landed Columbia point guard Kenny Noland, but as of now, we don't know if he's going to play due to the latest NCAA ruling. And with Elliot Cadeau being in foul trouble early, we had a good glimpse of what the season could look like.

And it wasn't great. Brandon McCoy Jr. took on more of a lead in handling the ball, but those freshman mistakes came through. Again, this was his first game, but he appears to be better suited off the ball.

Joseph Hartman looked like the best fit, but we aren't sure Mike Boynton Jr. is going to want a freshman running the show. This is why it's important for Michigan to get Noland in the fold prior to the season.

Roddy Gayle Jr?

Even if Noland ends up on the roster, Michigan has one open spot on its roster. Most people believed that it could be filled by Roddy Gayle Jr., and that belief was evident on Sunday.

Appearing on Michigan's bench was Gayle Jr., who is clearly working out with the team in hopes of becoming eligible for the 2026-27 season. There are hurdles to clear and Gayle Jr. would need an injunction against the NCAA, but if it happens, expect him to be back in Ann Arbor.

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