The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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38 THE WOLVERINE ❱ NOVEMBER 2026 2026-27 BASKETBALL PREVIEW his first year. He can shoot on the move, standing still, in transition — name it — and proved it in making 4 of 8 triples in the EMU win. The 6-10, 220-pounder can also put it on the floor a bit against bigger defenders, making him an abso- lute weapon. "Quinn's size, IQ , shooting ability — it's a no-brainer. He'll find time on the court for us," Boynton said. Summed up, there is a lot of talent on this team. While there might never be another Michigan team like last year's, this group has the potential to accom- plish big goals, even if it was picked third in the Big Ten behind Illinois and Michigan State in a preseason media poll. "I love that," McKenney said at me- dia day. "Last year, nobody believed we were going to win a national champi- onship, anyway. The roster, the way it looked when the season started, every- body thought we couldn't start three bigs in one lineup." We'll find out soon enough what they've got, but it's clear they've got the talent and confidence for what could be another very good season for Michigan basketball. ❏ Quotes "The mindset has to be: how does this team create its own legacy? And to a certain degree, our job is to, at some point — and it'll never happen, because that team was so historically great — get people talking less about last year's team and more about what this year's team is actually accomplishing." — Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on defending the national championship "I feel like my whole life has been building up to this year. My first three years in college, I didn't have the ball that much, and I feel like this year I'll have the ball a little bit more, and I'm very excited for it." — Senior guard Elliot Cadeau "When you have success, you get credibility that way. But when you work as hard as they do, that takes it to another level, and they both are amongst our hardest-working guys. They set a great tone. We've got a great energy in our building because of it, and so I'm excited to see how the team evolves, starting with the foundation of their leadership throughout the season." — Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on senior guard Elliot Cadeau and sophomore guard Trey McKenney "It was great for the conference. I thought the league, top to bottom, was the best in the country by a pretty wide margin — and I think this year the conference is better than it was last year. So, looking forward to the challenge, and it's going to be a grind." — Nebraska head coach Fred Hoiberg on Michigan win- ning the Big Ten's first national championship this century "We obviously like rim protection. We like pass-first point guards. Most importantly, we like guys who want to play unselfish basketball, who understand how to play bas- ketball and make decisions. A lot of how we play is based on just being intelligent and making the right play at the right time, regardless if it's for you or for your teammate, and we try to be really intentional about identifying guys who want to play like that, because there are some. There are some guys who want to have the ball in their hands for most of the game. Those guys don't usually fit well for us." — Head coach Mike Boynton Jr. on what he looks for in recruiting "We're super grateful to learn from him. Him coming from the NBA and kind of seeing that side of basketball, he's definitely added an- other layer to our offense. I think it's going to be super interesting." — Sophomore guard Trey McKenney on new offensive coordinator Dylan Murphy "Michigan led college basketball in effective field-goal percentage de- fense (44.6 percent against) by building a giant backline that could protect the paint. This team is similarly built with Moustapha Thiam (7-2), J.P. Estrella (6-11), Quinn Costello (6-10) and Jalen Reed (6-10), giving Boynton the option to play three-big combos similar to last year's starting lineup. Roddy Gayle Jr. receiving a fifth year was a huge de- velopment after the loss of Brandon McCoy Jr., out for the season with a knee injury. The trio of Cadeau, McKenney and Gayle gives Michigan one of the best and most experienced backcourts in the country. The floor is high offensively, and Boynton has the pieces to build another elite defense." — The Athletic writer CJ Moore "I've played with a lot of NBA players, seen a lot of NBA players, and he's for sure an NBA player." — Senior guard Elliot Cadeau on freshman forward Quinn Costello Senior guard Elliot Cadeau, who has played in 114 straight collegiate games without missing a single one, is the only returning Wolverine to start all 40 games in 2025-26. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL