The strongest university from the United States (USA) in Lithuania will play two matches – on August 23, the Michigan team will meet the Lithuanian men’s national team led by Rimas Kurtinaitis in Vilnius, and on August 24, they will play a match in Utena against the Lithuanian reserve team coached by Mindaugas Lukošius.
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This is the first time in history that the current NCAA champions will come to Lithuania and play matches here against Lithuanian national teams.
The association “Lithuanian Basketball” presents interesting facts about the NCAA champion university that you might not have known.
The University of Michigan’s basketball program is one of the best and has the deepest traditions in the entire United States.
The first “Wolverines” season dates back to 1908–1909. Today, the University of Michigan plays in the prestigious “Big Ten” NCAA conference, and more than 12,000 spectators watch each home game. To purchase a season ticket or get tickets to Michigan games, you have to queue, as interest in college basketball in Michigan state is huge.
Since 1965, 81 basketball players have heard their names called in the NBA draft and were sent directly from Michigan to the strongest basketball league in the world.
Of them, six players have become NBA champions 10 times, and another eight Michigan basketball players later participated in the NBA “All-Star Game” 18 times.
The most famous basketball players developed by the Michigan “Wolverines” are Chris Webber, Glen Rice, Jalen Rose, Jamal Crawford, Franz Wagner, Jordan Poole, Tim Hardaway Jr., Duncan Robinson, Rudy Tomjanovich, Cazzie Russell, Terry Mills, Trey Burke, Phil Hubbard, and others.
By the way, in 2014, with the eighth pick, the Sacramento Kings invited Lithuanian-origin basketball player Nik Stauskas directly from the University of Michigan to their club.
The University of Michigan team has reached the NCAA Final Four 9 times in total and played in the “Sweet 16” stage 20 times.
The “Wolverines” won their first national title in 1989 and repeated the success 37 years later – in April 2026.
The success of the university’s basketball program is evidenced not only by the NBA players and Olympic champions developed but also by the coaches.
The strategist Dusty May, who led Michigan to the NCAA top in the 2025–2026 season, caught the attention of the Dallas Mavericks management and will be the head coach of the Texas club from the 2026–2027 season.
In June 2026 alone, 3 more University of Michigan students were invited to the strongest basketball league in the world in the first round of the NBA draft.
With the ninth pick, the Dallas Mavericks selected Mourez Johnson Jr., the San Francisco Warriors picked Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick, and the Oklahoma Thunder chose Aday Mara Gomez with the 12th pick.
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In the 2026–2027 NBA season, the University of Michigan will have at least 18 of its developed players.
The Michigan “Wolverines” bring a very strong and hungry roster and coach to Lithuania.
Taking the helm of the team is Mike Boynton, who previously worked as an assistant to D. May.
The current Dallas Mavericks coach D. May speaks very warmly about his former colleague M. Boynton:
“You can’t find a better person to lead Michigan basketball. Mike has put everything he could into this program since arriving. He is a great coach, an even better person, and our players believe in him because they see his daily work. I am incredibly proud of him and happy for Mike. No one deserves this opportunity more, and I know he will do a great job leading this program.”
Before that, the current Michigan head coach successfully worked at Oklahoma State University and coached one of today’s brightest NBA stars, Cade Cunningham.
Detroit Pistons leader C. Cunningham says about the Michigan “Wolverines” coach:
“He made a huge impact on my life. He believed in me and trusted me, encouraging me to become the best version of myself. I am incredibly happy for him and his family because I know how much this opportunity means to all of them. Michigan is getting a great coach, but more importantly, they are getting an incredible person. No one deserves this opportunity more, and I can’t wait to see everything he achieves.”
Coach Dusty May, who gave Michigan the NCAA title and moved to the NBA, notes about the “Wolverines” games in Lithuania:
“Lithuania has an incredibly rich basketball history, so the opportunity to play against Lithuanian teams is very interesting for us. Our players will be able to learn from people who live basketball every day, compete at the highest level, and experience a different culture both on and off the court. This trip will give the guys a chance to grow as a team, learn, and spend time together before the season starts. Also, the players will experience basketball in another part of the world – this is truly special.”
Meanwhile, Lithuanian national team coach Rimas Kurtinaitis pointed out the high skill level of NCAA basketball players:
“This will be a great opportunity to test ourselves against the strongest university teams in the world. Today, the most talented young basketball players on the planet play in NCAA basketball. We are very much looking forward to this opportunity.”
American basketball experts who have closely followed the NBA and NCAA for many years predict that at least several University of Michigan students will hear their names again at the upcoming 2027 NBA draft.
Today, according to analysts, the closest to this goal are Moustapha Thiam, Trey McKenney, Brandon McCoy, and Elliott Cadeau.
We already invite Lithuanian basketball fans to plan to spend the evenings of August 23 and 24 meaningfully and see with their own eyes the current NCAA champions and future NBA stars.
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Michigan “Wolverines” roster for the games in Lithuania
Ricky Liburd
Trey McKenney
Elliott Cadeau
Brandon McCoy Jr.
Lincoln Cosby
Howard Eisley II
Quinn Costello
Joseph Hartman
Marcus Moller
Oscar Goodman
JP Estrella
Malachi Brown
Jalen Reed
Harrison Hochberg
Moustapha Thiam
