BOSTON −The game didn’t matter nearly as much as the last time the two teams met, but the atmosphere was rocking for a November basketball game.
Michigan basketball and UConn gave a capacity TD Garden crowd their money’s worth in a national championship game rematch seven months to the day. This time, however, the Huskies prevailed in an 85-77 victory, fueled by an 18-4 run covering the end of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half.
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U-M’s offense was stagnant much of the evening, shooting just 26-for-63 (41.3%) from the floor and 7-for-28 (25%) from 3. U-M made one shot outside the paint in the first half and didn’t get its second until Quinn Costello hit a corner 3 with 15:39 left.
ON THE GRIDIRON: Michigan football revving up for new level of physicality: ‘Buckle your chin strap’
That, however, only cut the deficit to 54-39 – a hole by then far too large to climb out of.
The game flipped late in the first half when UConn, up 32-27, was called for a loose ball foul and its bench was assessed a technical foul for letting the refs hear its displeasure.
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Trey McKenney missed both free throws for the tech, bringing the fervent UConn crowd to its feet, and J.P. Estrella missed his first before finally giving the Wolverines one make in four tries. U-M and UConn exchanged baskets before the Huskies ripped off a 9-0 run in 2:12 to close the half up by 13. In the second half, they led by nine or more until the final 18 seconds, when U-M cut it to eight.
UConn Huskies forward Jayden Ross (23) shoots the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) during the first half at TD Garden in Boston on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.
McKenney, who missed his first eight shots, including all seven in the first half, got hot in the second and finished with a team-high 22 points as U-M cut its 18-point deficit in half. But with Elliot Cadeau and Moustapha Thiam on the bench much of the second half with four fouls apiece, there wasn’t enough offense around him.
Estrella, the Tennessee transfer in his second game with U-M, impressed again with 19 points and nine rebounds, and fifth-year vet Roddy Gayle Jr. kept U-M hanging around early while finishing with 16 points. But coach Mike Boynton Jr.’s bench went 2-for-12 from the floor and combined for just eight points.
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Braylon Mullins led UConn with 23 points, Silas Demary Jr added 21 and Colben Landrew chipped in 13 for Dan Hurley’s team.
It was over when …
Michigan had cut the deficit to nine on a McKenney 3 before UConn went on a 9-2 run in less than two minutes to stretch its lead back out to 16 with 7:50 to play. Four of those came on consecutive free throws by Mullins, after the U-M bench was assessed a technical foul.
Player of the game: Trey McKenney
Michigan Wolverines guard Trey McKenney (1) looks to shoot the ball against the UConn Huskies during the first half at TD Garden in Boston on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026.
After a horrid start to the game — missing his first eight shots while taking fadeaway 2s, lefty hook-shot layups and off-balance 3’s — the preseason All-Big Ten pick caught fire.
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The true sophomore scored all 22 of his points after the break and made seven of eight shots in a 10-minute stretch and had 20 of U-M’s 24 points in the middle portion of the second half: A layup, three 3-pointers, another layup, a pair of free throws, a midrange jumper and another 3-pointer — the last of which got U-M with 12 with 4:08 to play.
While it wasn’t enough, it’s an impressive reminder that McKenney will be a grade-A scorer this season and a game-changer against most teams. UConn just had his number early, before he found a groove.
Trending up: Rebounding
In a game that tested Michigan’s physicality, Boynton’s team was largely up to the task. The Wolverines outrebounded a physical UConn side, 35-33, including 13 offensive boards (on 35.1% of misses) leading to 15 second-chance points. There was no singularly overwhelming effort, but a team buy-in to guards crashing hard.
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Estrella led the way with nine boards, Thiam added five, Rickey Liburd had four and McKenney and Elliott Cadeau had three each. While it didn’t do enough to tilt the game, it was an area of concern after a poor showing in the opener against Oakland and it showed, at minimum, it shouldn’t be a glaring weakness.
Trending down: Moustapha Thiam
The Cincinnati transfer – playing his first regular season game in a U-M uniform – threw down a dunk just six seconds into the game. Those would be the big’s only points on the night. Thiam finished 1-for-3 from the floor and grabbed just five rebounds as he battled foul trouble all evening.
He had to sit the final 4:40 of the first half after picking up two, then played just four minutes in the second half before reaching four fouls with 12:19 to play. Although he’s working his way back from the flu, he didn’t seem to have a rhythm at any point.
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He fumbled the ball four times on offense — once on an entry pass, a few times at the top of the key and once more as he tried to corral a loose ball — and played just five minutes after the break in total.
Next up: Golden rebound?
Michigan can’t sulk too long — it has another formidable test next time out against a power-conference squad. The Wolverines will stick with the Big East, this time at home, as they host coach Shaka Smart and Marquette on Wednesday (7 p.m., FS1). The Golden Eagles are 1-0 with a rout of Mercyhurst after a disappointing 12-20 mark last season.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Outside shooting freezes out Michigan basketball in UConn rematch
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