Studs and Duds from Michigan Basketball's Dominant Win over Marquette

The Michigan Wolverines bounced back with a big win at home over the Marquette Golden Eagles. The Wolverines withstood a couple of big punches from Marquette, but always had an answer for them.

They led by eight at halftime and saw their lead swell as high as 22 in the second half. Marquette rallied, but some clutch shooting from Michigan’s backcourt helped them pull away.

Here are our studs and duds from Michigan’s second win of the season.

Stud Elliot Cadeau

That’s more like the Elliot Cadeau we all saw last year. Cadeau struggled in the first two games of the season, but stuffed the stat sheet on Wednesday night, nearly recording a triple double. He was the team’s leading scorer with 17 points and 10 assists to go with seven rebounds. He stayed out of foul trouble, which was a problem during the first two games as well.

If there’s one thing to nitpick it’s that Cadeau turned the ball over four times. Some of that is the price of doing business considering how much Cadeau has the ball, but still is something that will need to remedy itself going into conference play.

Whenever Marquette made a run, Cadeau made a play to ensure that his team’s big lead was not going to evaporate.

If Michigan can ever find a night where both he and Trey McKenney are rolling, they could be very dangerous.

Stud JP Estrella

What a find JP Estrella has been out of the transfer portal. Is he going to be as good as last year’s trio of transfers? Probably not, but that’s a high bar to clear. He was incredible again on 18 points on just 12 shots. He had eight rebounds and two blocked shots. He has a good understanding of how to use his size and never feels rushed underneath the rim. Michigan has the makings of a solid front court.

One dunk wasn't enough!

J.P. Estrella delivers TWO slams for @umichbball pic.twitter.com/K9DGlFrsAE
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 12, 2026

Stud Quinn Costello

The freshman sensation strikes again. Quinn Costello has been far and away Michigan’s top player coming off the bench in the early going and that continued on Wednesday night. Costello was 5-6 from 3-point land. That’s his role. When the ball finds him, he needs to put it in the basket. Usually from deep.

Costello scored 15 points in 24 minutes, and added four rebounds and a blocked shot.

Michigan is going to rely on him more as the season goes on for 3-point shooting as the rest of the team is still struggling to find their stroke.

Trey McKenney is feeling it!

Back-to-back threes for @umichbball pic.twitter.com/uyJrWuM4hz
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 12, 2026

Dud: Trey McKenney

The scoring sheet for McKenney looks solid with 15 points, but his shooting efficiency left a lot to be desired. It took McKenney 17 shots to score 15 points, and he was just 3-10 from 3-point land.

Michigan does not have the margin for error that they had a season ago where McKenney was just a role player. That’s something that can take some time to grow into. McKenney is going from secondary scorer, to a star.

Nov 6, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) looks to shoot the ball against the UConn Huskies during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

There’s not much reason for concern early in the season, but McKenney has been a volume scorer for most of the first three games this season.

Dud: The Bench (Other than Costello)

It’s been a slow start to the season for Michigan’s second unit. Michigan’s rotation was shorter tonight than it was in the first two games of the season. Costello was one of the stars of the night and has been a sharpshooter for the Wolverines early in the season.

The other three players who saw action off the bench combined for three points total. Ricky Liburd has been disappointing early in the season on the offensive end as he has yet to find his shooting stroke. Defensively, he was still active.

Kenny Noland has been a disappointment early as well. He scored one point in just five minutes on the floor. Michigan is going to need a backup point guard to emerge at some point in the season. That’s why they brought Noland in.

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