Men's Basketball 2026 Summer Tour: Daily Blog
Explore. Compete. Connect.
Michigan Men's Basketball is taking its game overseas.
Watch: Coach Mike Boynton Jr. meets with the media and previews the Wolverines' 2026 summer tour (Aug. 18)
Before the fall semester begins, the Wolverines will embark on a nine-day journey through Lithuania and Croatia that will be about much more than basketball. The 2026 summer tour will give the Maize and Blue an opportunity to experience new cultures, explore historic destinations and create lasting memories together.
Basketball will also be at the center of the trip. Michigan will play three exhibition games against international competition, providing an opportunity to experiment with different lineups, build team chemistry and continue preparations for the 2026-27 season.
Follow the Wolverines throughout their European adventure on social media and check back daily on MGoBlue.com for updates from the road, including game recaps, photos, videos and behind-the-scenes moments.
Next stop: Europe.
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Summer Tour Schedule
Game 1: Lithuania Senior National Team
Recap | Boxscore / PDF | Photo Gallery
Sunday, Aug. 23 | 7:30 p.m. EEST (12:30 p.m. ET)
Vilnius, Lithuania | Arena Vilnius
Game 2: Lithuania B Team
Recap | Boxscore / PDF | Photo Gallery
Monday, Aug. 24 | 6:30 p.m. EEST (11:30 a.m. ET)
Utena, Lithuania | Utenos daugiafunkcis sporto centras
Game 3: Mega Superbet
Recap | PDF Boxscore | Photo Gallery | Tour Stats
Thursday, Aug. 27 | 7 p.m. CEST (1 p.m. ET)
Igalo, Montenegro | Sportski Centar
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Day 8: On the final day of the Wolverines' summer tour, the team took a walking tour of the City Walls of Dubrovnik. The walls stretch more than 6,000 feet long uninterrupted and were mainly built between the 13th and 17th centuries.
Tucked within the city walls lies Stari Grad Basketball Court, a set of three hoops staged with beautiful views of Old Town. The Wolverines took the opportunity to get some shots up at one of the most unique basketball courts in the world.
In the evening, the program gathered at a beach club in the city for a farewell dinner. The meal gave players, staff and families a chance to reflect on the growth and development they experienced over the last nine days.
"We are really grateful and thankful for the opportunity to come out here and represent Michigan. Thank you to our administration for giving us this chance to be out here for a week or so, bonding as a team, but also playing basketball and representing what our program has built us up to be. This is a program of high character, hard work, improvement and development. I think our guys really got better over this week, and we look forward to getting back and seeing how we can build off it."
We are really grateful and thankful for the opportunity to come out here and represent Michigan. Thank you to our administration for giving us this chance to be out here for a week or so, bonding as a team, but also playing basketball and representing what our program has built us up to be. This is a program of high character, hard work, improvement and development. I think our guys really got better over this week, and we look forward to getting back and seeing how we can build off it.-- Mike Boynton Jr.
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DAY 7: After spending Thursday preparing at the hotel, the Wolverines traveled across the border into nearby Montenegro for the third and final exhibition matchup of their overseas tour against Mega Superbet, a Serbian professional club.
The Maize and Blue fell behind in the first half after allowing a 23-8 Mega run in the second quarter. In the third quarter, U-M began to close the gap behind strong three-point shooting, trailing by just three points heading into the fourth. Trey McKenney and Elliot Cadeau combined for 19 of Michigan’s 22 fourth-quarter points to lift the Wolverines to an 84-81 win.
McKenney finished with a game-high 25 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He averaged a team-best 20.0 points on the European tour.
We had a meeting a couple days ago just talking about Michigan culture and Michigan basketball. I think we really showed tonight what we could be throughout the season. I’m excited to get back to Ann Arbor, get the group under one arena, practice for a couple months and get ready for the season.-- Trey McKenney
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DAYS 5/6: On Tuesday, the Wolverines departed Vilnius and, following a brief layover in Warsaw, landed in Split, Croatia. From there, the team took a scenic bus ride along the Dalmatian coast to Dubrovnik, where it settled in for the second leg of its European tour.
Wednesday morning, the Wolverines embarked on a boat trip to the island of Šipan, located about 11 miles northwest of Dubrovnik. The team enjoyed lunch at a beach club, dining on tuna tartare, seafood risotto, grilled swordfish and mahi mahi. After lunch, the Wolverines spent the afternoon swimming in the Adriatic Sea, surrounded by the limestone peaks of the Dinaric Alps.
After cruising back to Dubrovnik, the Wolverines gathered for a team dinner at the hotel before settling in for the evening. U-M will return to the court Thursday for its final exhibition game of the tour against Mega Superbet. The game will be streamed live on the Michigan Athletics YouTube channel.
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DAY 4: The Wolverines spent Monday morning recovering from the previous night’s matchup with the Lithuanian Men’s National Team before hitting the road in the afternoon. Michigan traveled 90 minutes northeast to Utena, a city of roughly 25,000, for its second exhibition of the trip against Lithuania’s National B Team.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead behind Elliot Cadeau, who scored or assisted on each of the Wolverines’ first 16 points. Lithuania worked its way back into the game in the second quarter and, fueled by an energized home crowd, built a lead as large as eight points in the third.
The Wolverines responded in the fourth. Oscar Goodman and Joseph Hartman combined for 12 points as the Maize and Blue outscored Lithuania 16-9 to open the quarter and pull even at 73. After Lithuania regained the lead, Cadeau answered with a basket of his own to tie the game again at 75 with two minutes remaining.
Turnovers proved costly down the stretch, however, as Lithuania closed out an 82-77 victory. Cadeau led Michigan with 19 points and eight assists, while J.P. Estrella added 17 points and seven rebounds.
Michigan will now turn its attention to the second leg of its European tour, traveling Tuesday to Dubrovnik, Croatia. The Wolverines will face Serbian club Mega Superbet on Thursday (Aug. 27) in their third and final exhibition of the trip. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. local time (1 p.m. ET).
The game will be streamed live on the Michigan Athletics YouTube channel.
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DAY 3: The streets of Vilnius were closed for much of Sunday for the city’s annual Velomarathon, the largest cycling event in Lithuania. Thousands of cyclists made their way through the city, including past the Wolverines as they departed the team hotel for a pregame shootaround at Arena Vilnius.
Following lunch and an afternoon of rest, Michigan returned to the arena Sunday evening for its first exhibition test of the tour against the Lithuania Senior National Team. The Wolverines built a 14-point lead in the first half behind strong efforts from Brandon McCoy Jr. and Trey McKenney before Lithuania responded in the second half, outscoring the Maize and Blue 52-28 to earn a 96-84 win. Quinn Costello led U-M with 17 points, connecting on five three-pointers.
It was good to play against another team after going hard against each other in practice. Obviously, it wasn’t the outcome we wanted, but I saw some good things out of us. Everybody is still trying to figure things out. It was my first game out there with these guys, so we’ll look at what went wrong, learn from it and get better.-- Brandon McCoy Jr.
Following the game, the Wolverines met Kara C. McDonald, the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania and a University of Michigan alumna. The team also spent time with eight active-duty U.S. military members currently stationed in Lithuania and thanked them for their service.
Michigan will travel to Utena on Monday (Aug. 24) to face the Lithuania B Team at 6:30 p.m. local time (11:30 a.m. ET). The game will be streamed live on the Michigan Athletics YouTube channel.
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DAY 2: The Wolverines began the second day of their European tour with a practice at Aerottoria Arena, the former practice facility of Vilnius' BC Wolves, a former member of the Lithuanian Basketball League. The team used the session to prepare for Sunday's matchup against the Lithuania National Team, with players putting in work on the court before heading to the weight room.
Meanwhile, the coaching staff and team managers took a more competitive approach to the afternoon, squaring off in a friendly game of pickup.
Later in the day, the Wolverines visited the Museum of Occupations and Freedom Fights, a former KGB prison that now serves as a museum dedicated to preserving the history of Lithuania's Soviet occupation and the country's resistance. Players walked through the historic site, learning about the hardships endured during the occupation and the efforts of those who fought for Lithuanian independence.
The day concluded with a tasting menu at Momo's Grill before the team returned to the hotel to rest and prepare for its first exhibition game of the tour.
Michigan will face the Lithuania Senior National Team Sunday at 12:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed live on the Michigan Athletics YouTube channel.
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DAY 1: U-M officially began its tour of Lithuania and Croatia on Thursday (Aug. 20), traveling from Ann Arbor to Frankfurt before arriving in Vilnius on Friday afternoon. For freshman Marcus Møller, the arrival in Lithuania included a special reunion. Møllerwas greeted by his parents and brother, who made the trip from Denmark to join him on the Wolverines' European adventure.
The afternoon gave the team its first opportunity to explore Vilnius, with the Wolverines taking a walking tour through the city's historic center. Along the way, they passed several of Vilnius' iconic landmarks, including the Church of St. Johns, St. Anne's Church and the Cathedral of Vilnius, which has served as a place of worship in some form since the 13th century. The team also made time for a quick stop at a roadside gelato stand to cool off and grab a sweet treat.
The evening concluded with a team dinner at a local restaurant, where the Wolverines enjoyed steak, chicken and swordfish before returning to the hotel. With the first day in Vilnius in the books, Michigan will turn its attention to the court Saturday, holding its first practice of the tour in the early afternoon.
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Watch: Wolverines Set for Culture, Cuisine and Bonding Across Europe (Aug. 19)
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