Exhibition: Michigan vs. Houston Recap

Houston isn’t a game you schedule to feel good about yourself, so it’s a good one to schedule in October.

Michigan learned a lot about itself on Sunday, mostly about where it still needs to go to be a Big Ten contender this season. The Wolverines fell short, 83-66, but left Grand Rapids with a 0-0 record and a to-do list to focus on heading into the opener.

The season is eight days away, a national title rematch with UConn is a few days later, and the games count from here on out.

Michigan showed flashes on Sunday, including a 15-1 first-half run, but Houston was better over the 40 minutes. “We play good basketball in spurts, which obviously wasn’t good enough against an elite team,” Mike Boynton Jr. said afterward.

The Cougars have arguably the most distinctive two-way program identity in the sport, and they dictated the terms of engagement on offense and defense. The Wolverines played Houston on Sunday and still need more time to figure out their identity this season.