GRAND RAPIDS — The Wolverines were put to the test against another team that’s expected to be among college basketball’s best this season.

Unlike the first two exhibition games, their third and final one didn’t end in their favor.

In a matchup between two preseason top-20 teams that featured 50 fouls and 58 free throws, Michigan was dropped by Houston, 83-66, at Van Andel Arena on Sunday, Oct. 25.

Roddy Gayle Jr., in his first preseason action since a new court ruling cleared him to play earlier this week, scored 14 and Moustapha Thiam had 12 points and eight rebounds for Michigan, which led for less than five minutes and trailed the final 23 minutes.

After winning comfortably against Eastern Michigan and narrowly against Oregon State in its first two exhibition games, Michigan had its hands full and struggled to get into an offensive groove in its final preseason tuneup.

The Wolverines trailed by as much as 10 in the first half and battled back to take the lead. They found themselves in a similar situation in the second half but couldn’t fight all the way back as the fouls on both sides piled up.

A pair of dunks by J.P. Estrella kept Michigan within striking distance, the second one a slam over a Houston defender that cut the deficit to 44-40 with 14:22 to play. But Estrella was hit with a technical foul for pointing at the defender he dunked on.

The game began to slip away from Michigan from that point on. Houston used a 13-2 run to create some separation. Michigan’s failure to secure a missed free throw led to a second-chance layup. A pair of live-ball turnovers led to a 3-pointer and and-1 layup in transition. Michigan fell behind, 60-44, with 11:00 to play.

Two 3-pointers by freshman Quinn Costello cut the deficit to 68-59 with 5:57 to go, but Michigan couldn’t get any closer as it ends its three-game exhibition slate with a 2-1 mark.

The Wolverines shot 34% from the field, finished 9-for-33 from 3-point range and went 23-for-29 at the free-throw line. They also finished with 25 personal fouls – the same as Houston – and had 11 turnovers that led to 20 Houston points.

Dedan Thomas Jr. scored 25, Delrecco Gillespie 16 and Chase McCarty 15 for Houston, which shot 51.6% from the field in the second half and won the rebounding battle by a 42-31 margin. The Cougars are ranked No. 8 in the USA Today coaches preseason poll, 12 spots ahead of the Wolverines.

The first half was a rocky one for the Wolverines. Three minutes into the game, four of Michigan’s five starters picked up a foul, with Trey McKenney being the lone exception, and Houston ripped off a 13-3 burst within the first six minutes.

Back-to-back 3-pointers capped a string of 10 straight points for the Cougars. After McKenney snapped the run with a deep ball, Houston answered with another 3. It came at the end of a sequence where Jalen Reed blocked a shot that sparked a fast break. But Cadeau had his layup blocked from behind, and Houston drained a transition 3 the other way to make it 16-8 with 14:29 left in the first half.

Houston pushed its lead to double digits as foul trouble mounted for Michigan. Moustapha Thiam and Estrella each picked up two fouls midway through the half and sat for stretches, with Estrella’s second coming on an offensive foul where he nearly threw down a poster dunk over a defender.

After falling behind 24-14, the Wolverines clawed back by holding the Cougars without a basket for seven minutes. Gayle split a pair of defenders on a drive and finished at the rim. Cadeau came away with a steal and scored on a fast-break layup. A 15-1 spurt that ended with a sequence where Cadeau drew a charge on one end and Oscar Goodman drained a 3 on the other to give Michigan a 29-25 lead at the 5:03 mark.

Michigan, though, closed the half on a rough note. The Wolverines missed six straight shots and turned it over three times down the stretch, while Houston rattled off a 13-2 run to take a 38-31 lead into the break.

Michigan will open the 2026-27 regular season and the Mike Boynton Jr. era on Monday, Nov. 2 against Oakland at Crisler Center.