Michigan freshman guard Brandon McCoy Jr. will miss the 2026-27 season after suffering a torn ACL last week in the Wolverines' European Tour in Lithuania, the school announced on Tuesday. McCoy exited a game after just 20 seconds against Mega Superbet and had to be carried off the court.
McCoy, who was the No. 11-ranked player in the 2026 recruiting cycle by 247Sports, averaged 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals in the first two games of Michigan's foreign tour. McCoy was expected to play a key role for the reining national champions this season and was in line to start in the backcourt next to returners Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney.
Michigan lost four starters (Nimari Burnett, Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara) and its head coach (Dusty May) from its national title team this offseason. Following May's departure, assistant coach Mike Boynton was promoted to the head role. With Boynton in charge, the Wolverines kept almost their entire roster intact, including key transfers acquired in the offseason.
The lone transfer after the coaching change was LJ Cason, who transferred to Miami shortly after May's departure.
Notably, Michigan guard Roddy Gayle Jr. filed a lawsuit in the Niagara County Supreme Court earlier this week seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction to play during the 2026-27 season. Gayle spent the last two seasons with the Wolverines and played a key role off the bench.
All eyes turn to Gayle's lawsuit
Suddenly, Gayle's eligibility has become an even larger topic of discussion for Michigan. With McCoy set to miss the entire season, Michigan now has a major hole in its starting lineup. If Gayle is granted a fifth season, he would almost certainly slot into Michigan's starting lineup.
Here is what Michigan's starting lineup could look like if Gayle returns for his fifth season.
- G: Elliot Cadeau
- G: Trey McKenney
- G: Roddy Gayle Jr.
- F: J.P. Estrella
- C: Moustapha Thiam
Last month, Michigan had the fifth-best odds (+1900 on FanDuel Sportsbook) to win the 2027 national title. Now, Michigan's odds to repeat have since plummeted (+3500) to a tie with Kentucky for the 15th-shortest odds to win the title. Florida remains the outright favorite to win its second title in three years because of the depth it returns.
The focus of Michigan's roster now turns to the backcourt of Cadeau and McKenney, who had different roles on college basketball's best team last season. Cadeau earned Final Four Most Outstanding Player after an incredible two-game stretch against UConn and Arizona, while McKenney was a microwave scorer off the bench.
If Gayle isn't cleared, what will Michigan do? The Wolverines could go with a larger lineup like last season and start three frontcourt players, or go smaller and start three guards. One name to monitor is Oscar Goodman, who appeared in only 16 games last season but could be due for a larger role in the rotation.
Another name to know is LSU transfer Jalen Reed, who is coming off a torn Achilles. He played in only six games during the 2025-26 season with the Tigers and is set to be an X-Factor when he's fully cleared to play.
