Grab Some Pine Pull up a bench. Bay Area sports, Michigan, and a model or two.
October 12, 2026
Exhibition

Michigan's fifth starter had never played a minute for Michigan

Ricky Liburd sat out all of last season and every minute of the European tour. On Sunday he started the exhibition against Eastern Michigan, an 87-62 win. Roddy Gayle Jr. did not play because his court order says nothing about Summer League, and Quinn Costello scored 16 off the bench.

GL
Grant LombardOct 12, 20263 min read
Every call on this site goes on a public ledger and gets graded. The misses stay up.
Michigan guard Ricky Liburd, in the white home uniform, claps on the court during a game at Crisler Center, a basket behind him.

The open question on this beat since August has been the fifth starter. Four names came up for the job, and on Sunday Michigan started a fifth.

Ricky Liburd started Michigan's 87-62 exhibition win over Eastern Michigan at Crisler Center, alongside Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam, per the official box score. Liburd is a 6-foot-5 sophomore guard. His Michigan bio says he did not appear in a game last season, and he did not play a minute on the European tour in August. His first minutes in a Michigan game began at the opening tip.

He played 11 of them and had 2 points, 3 rebounds and a steal. Only one Michigan player who got in played fewer (Malachi Brown, a freshman, played 8). It was not a breakout, and an exhibition starter is not the opening-night starter. That lineup is set on November 2 against Oakland.

Why Gayle sat#

Roddy Gayle Jr. did not play. "His injunction order didn't address his participation in Summer League. Simple as that," Mike Boynton Jr. said after the game, per Andrew Kahn of MLive.

Gayle played NBA Summer League this year. By Boynton's account, the New York order that restored his eligibility does not cover that, and Kenny Noland's Indiana order does. "Kenny's has the wording in it and Roddy's doesn't," Boynton said. He called it "maybe just an oversight" and said Michigan hopes to have an amendment within a couple of days.

That makes the most interesting absence of the day a drafting problem. A week ago, Michigan's own assistant coach named Gayle as the player who had impressed him most in practice.

Noland played 14 minutes, all off the bench. He was the first guard in, replacing Cadeau at 15:25 of the first half, and finished with 2 points and 2 assists. The NCAA's request to pause his injunction is still in the Indiana Court of Appeals. The docket showed no ruling as of Monday morning, and its newest entries were filed Friday.

The other two names#

Quinn Costello did the most with Sunday. The freshman forward scored 16 points in 24 minutes off the bench and went 4 of 8 from three. Three of those threes came in the second half, after Eastern Michigan had cut the lead to three late in the first. Boynton described Costello working in pick-and-roll actions with Cadeau and Thiam. "It's going to be something that you see a lot of," he said, per Suraj Kodali of The Michigan Daily.

Joseph Hartman scored 10 in 18 minutes on 4-of-5 shooting, with two turnovers.

Three open calls on this site ask who starts on November 2. Nell Barton's August call names Hartman. Her October 10 call names Gayle. Mine, from August, names Costello. Sunday's box score settles none of them, and the name it did print belongs to none of them.

One more line from the bench. Jalen Reed played 12 minutes, his first Michigan minutes since transferring in after the Achilles injury that ended his season at LSU. He missed all three of his shots.

Michigan plays Oregon State in Ann Arbor on Friday and Houston in Grand Rapids on October 25. Gayle plays when the amendment arrives, and Boynton said it should come this week.

Sources: mgoblue.com official box score, Michigan 87, Eastern Michigan 62, October 11, 2026, read October 12; mgoblue.com 2026-27 men's basketball roster, Ricky Liburd bio and 2026-27 schedule, read October 12; Andrew Kahn, MLive, "Why Roddy Gayle Jr. didn't play in Michigan's first exhibition," October 11; Trent Knoop, Sports Illustrated, October 11; Suraj Kodali, The Michigan Daily, October 12; mgoblue.com, "Defend the Block 405" transcript, October 6; Indiana Court of Appeals No. 26A-PL-02703, chronological case summary as read October 12.

Filed under Michigan BB

More on Elliot Cadeau

His page →
Michigan won the glass in Boston and lost the free-throw line by twelve
The rematch

Michigan won the glass in Boston and lost the free-throw line by twelve

UConn beat Michigan 85-77 at TD Garden on November 6. Michigan out-rebounded UConn 35-33, held it to nine offensive rebounds and scored four more points from the field, 59 to 55. UConn made 30 of 36 free throws and Michigan made 18 of 23. Elliot Cadeau fouled out with 2:16 left and Moustapha Thiam had four fouls in 15 minutes. Kenny Noland, the guard Mike Boynton named as cover for Cadeau's foul trouble, played six minutes. Michigan plays Marquette on Wednesday, November 11.

Nell BartonNov 7, 20264 min read
The NCAA lost its stay on Noland and asked the court to hurry instead
Eligibility

The NCAA lost its stay on Noland and asked the court to hurry instead

The Indiana Court of Appeals denied the NCAA's emergency motion to stay the Monroe Circuit Court injunction that makes Kenny Noland and dozens of other athletes eligible on October 16, in an order by Judge Elizabeth Tavitas with Judges Bradford, Kenworthy and DeBoer concurring. On October 20 the NCAA filed a verified motion to shorten time and for an expedited briefing schedule in the appeal, NCAA v. Daley, 26A-PL-02703, and the players filed an objection on October 22. No ruling on that motion appears on the docket, and no transfer petition to the Indiana Supreme Court has been filed since the court denied an emergency one on October 1. Michigan plays 10th-ranked Houston in an exhibition at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids on Sunday, October 25, at 1 p.m. Eastern, and opens against Oakland at Crisler Center on November 2. At media day on October 22, Mike Boynton Jr. said he expected Roddy Gayle Jr. to start with Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam, with Ricky Liburd, Quinn Costello and Oscar Goodman in the next group, and said Joseph Hartman would miss probably a couple of weeks with a shoulder injury.

Nell BartonOct 24, 20264 min read
Liburd started both exhibitions. Noland got the minutes in the close one
Rotation

Liburd started both exhibitions. Noland got the minutes in the close one

Michigan beat Oregon State 98-93 in an exhibition at Crisler Center on October 16, after beating Eastern Michigan 87-62 on October 11. The official box scores list the same five starters both times: Elliot Cadeau, Trey McKenney, Ricky Liburd, J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam. Kenny Noland came off the bench in both games and played 14 and 25 minutes; Liburd played 11 and 15. Against Oregon State, McKenney fouled out, Cadeau finished with four fouls, and eight Michigan players took 185 of the 200 minutes. Joseph Hartman played 18 minutes on October 11 and 7 on October 16. Roddy Gayle Jr. has not played in either exhibition while Michigan waits on an amendment to his court order. The Tenth Circuit heard argument in Wisne v. NCAA on October 13 and did not say when it would rule. Michigan plays Houston in Grand Rapids on October 25 and opens against Oakland on November 2.

Nell BartonOct 17, 20264 min read

More on Quinn Costello

His page →
J.P. Estrella Played Thirty-Five Of Forty Minutes For A Michigan Team Down To Eight
The tour

J.P. Estrella Played Thirty-Five Of Forty Minutes For A Michigan Team Down To Eight

Michigan lost the second game of its European tour 82-77 to Lithuania's National B Team on August 24 in Utena, a day after losing 96-84 to the Lithuania senior national team in Vilnius. Michigan's box score listed ten players and Michigan used eight, with Moustapha Thiam, Trey McKenney and Ricky Liburd all resting nagging injuries as a precaution and Lincoln Cosby and Jalen Reed still rehabbing. Four Wolverines played more than thirty-one minutes after none had reached thirty-one the previous night: J.P. Estrella 35:34, Quinn Costello 34:34, Oscar Goodman 32:04, Brandon McCoy Jr. 31:06. Michigan's reserves scored seven points on three-of-twelve shooting in 44:33, against forty bench points on Sunday, though Costello and Goodman had both come off the bench in Vilnius and started here. Michigan attempted forty-three three-pointers and thirty-three two-pointers, making eleven and seventeen. The Wolverines scored ten points in the third quarter and led 47-46 at halftime. Elliot Cadeau had nineteen points and eight assists in 22:09. Michigan closes the tour against Mega SUPERBET in Dubrovnik on August 27.

Grant LombardAug 25, 20264 min read
Michigan Lost Three Starters To Fouls And The Ball Twenty-Seven Times
The tour

Michigan Lost Three Starters To Fouls And The Ball Twenty-Seven Times

Michigan opened its European tour with a 96-84 exhibition loss to the Lithuania senior national team at Arena Vilnius on August 23. The Wolverines led 56-44 at halftime and by fourteen early in the third quarter, then were outscored 52-28 after the break. Michigan committed 27 turnovers and 28 fouls. Trey McKenney, Elliot Cadeau and J.P. Estrella each committed a fifth personal foul, left the floor at it and did not return, all three inside the last eight minutes. Quinn Costello led Michigan with 17 points on five three-pointers off the bench in 27:45, second on the team in minutes. Joseph Hartman played 20:58 with five assists and finished the game at point guard. Michigan's bench played 105:10 to the starters' 94:50. Azuolas Tubelis, who played three seasons at Arizona, scored 31 points on 12-of-15 shooting for Lithuania. Michigan plays the Lithuania B Team on August 24 in Utena and Mega SUPERBET on August 27 in Dubrovnik.

Grant LombardAug 24, 20264 min read

On the record

Called Shots →
Held upAug 24, 2026

Across the three games of Michigan's European tour, Quinn Costello attempts more three-pointers than any other Michigan player.

Costello took nine of Michigan's thirty three-point attempts in game one, off the bench, made five, led the team with 17 points and played the second-most minutes on the roster while recording no assists and no turnovers. That is a shooting specialist's usage pattern, and the question this call asks is whether it was the job or the night. The case for it: a coach who wants the floor spread around Elliot Cadeau needs somebody whose only instruction is to shoot, and Costello was given 27:45 to do exactly that. What makes it losable: nine attempts is one game, Trey McKenney took six and made three, the sample is three exhibitions in five days, and a freshman who shoots five-of-nine on Sunday can shoot two-of-eight on Thursday and see the leash shorten. Rotations in August are also deliberately unstable, which is the whole reason the games are being played.

Latest on the Michigan BB

The whole beat →
Oakland got 21 offensive rebounds off Michigan. UConn got 22 in April and lost.
The rematch

Oakland got 21 offensive rebounds off Michigan. UConn got 22 in April and lost.

Michigan plays fourth-ranked UConn at TD Garden on Friday, November 6, seven months after beating the Huskies 69-63 for the national championship. Oakland took 21 of the 47 rebounds available on its misses in Michigan's 84-68 opener, 44.7 percent. UConn took 22 of 49 in the title game, 44.9 percent. Michigan's opponents got 28.2 percent across all 40 games last season. Coach Mike Boynton Jr. said Moustapha Thiam would help after missing the opener with an illness, and that his guards have to rebound better.

Grant LombardNov 5, 20264 min read
Gayle's return cost Liburd the start. Noland kept his minutes
Rotation

Gayle's return cost Liburd the start. Noland kept his minutes

Roddy Gayle Jr. started Michigan's 83-66 exhibition loss to 10th-ranked Houston on October 25, his first game since being cleared for a fifth season, and played a team-high 30 minutes; Ricky Liburd, who started the first two exhibitions, played 14 off the bench. Kenny Noland played 19 and finished the exhibitions with 58 minutes to Liburd's 40 before Michigan opens against Oakland at Crisler on Monday, November 2, and plays UConn on Friday, November 6.

Nell BartonOct 31, 20264 min read
Gayle can play Houston on Sunday. The order that lets him is temporary
Eligibility

Gayle can play Houston on Sunday. The order that lets him is temporary

Roddy Gayle Jr.'s lawyers asked Niagara County Supreme Court on Wednesday, October 21, to amend his preliminary injunction so that it covers his 2026 NBA Summer League participation, and on Thursday, October 22, he was granted a temporary restraining order, per The Detroit News. The order bars the NCAA from declaring him ineligible on the basis of his Summer League participation, his $1,700 Summer League stipend or his agent agreement. The September 24 injunction did not address Summer League, and Gayle sat out exhibitions against Eastern Michigan on October 11 and Oregon State on October 16. Mike Boynton Jr. said at media day that he expects to see Gayle against Houston on Sunday, October 25, in Grand Rapids. The motion to amend the injunction is still pending, and the NCAA can still appeal.

Nell BartonOct 22, 20263 min read

Earlier on the Michigan BB

Michigan's roster is full at fifteen, and the two guards it wants are outside it
Rotation

Michigan's roster is full at fifteen, and the two guards it wants are outside it

Michigan's official 2026-27 roster listed fifteen players on Saturday morning. The cumulative statistics sheet from the European tour lists the same fifteen. Kenny Noland, the Columbia transfer Michigan signed on August 19, is on neither, and neither is Roddy Gayle Jr., who has held a temporary restraining order since September 2. The Niagara County docket carried no decision on Gayle's injunction motion as of Saturday morning, two days after the hearing was scheduled.

Nell BartonSep 19, 20266 min read
Michigan's Twelfth Non-Conference Game Is Either A Players Era Final Or Mississippi Valley State
The schedule

Michigan's Twelfth Non-Conference Game Is Either A Players Era Final Or Mississippi Valley State

Michigan announced its 2026-27 non-conference schedule on September 4: UConn in Boston in a national championship rematch, Villanova in Philadelphia, Louisville in Detroit, Marquette at home, and a return to the Players Era in Las Vegas as defending champion. Twelve non-conference games plus a 20-game Big Ten schedule makes 32. Section 3.01c-ii of Boynton's contract asks for 24 of them, from a roster that returns a quarter of last season's minutes and has already lost a freshman center to a torn knee ligament.

Grant LombardSep 11, 20264 min read
Jalen Reed Was Aiming At Late December And His Coach Just Said Opening Night
The frontcourt

Jalen Reed Was Aiming At Late December And His Coach Just Said Opening Night

Mike Boynton said Tuesday that Jalen Reed is ahead of his rehab schedule, that doctors cleared him for contact work as soon as Michigan returns from Europe on August 29, and that the November 3 opener is now a real target instead of a late-December ramp-up. Reed and freshman Lincoln Cosby both sit out all three exhibitions. Marcus Moller, who was a question mark three weeks ago, is playing.

Grant LombardAug 19, 20265 min read