Brandon McCoy Jr. injury casts a pall over Michigan's Europe finale

Michigan basketball ended its foreign tour on a bittersweet note.

After dropping the first two exhibitions against Lithuania teams, the Wolverines capped their Europe trip with an 84-81 win over Serbia's Mega Superbet on Aug. 27 at the Sportski Centar in Herceg Novi, Montenegro but lost one of their standout freshmen in the process.

Brandon McCoy Jr., a five-star guard and one of the team's two incoming McDonald's All-Americans, exited 20 seconds into the game with an injury. After McCoy came away with a steal on the first possession, he slipped as he drove to the basket in transition.

McCoy stayed down for several moments and was tended to by trainer Chris Williams. He got up favoring his right leg and didn't put any weight on it before he was carried off the court and back to the locker room. He never returned to the bench.

The program didn't provide an immediate postgame update on McCoy's injury.

McCoy's exit overshadowed a contest in which Michigan trailed 49-38 at halftime and by three after the third quarter before it opened the fourth quarter with a 15-2 burst fueled by Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney. That put Michigan in front for good, though it had to hang on and stave off a late push by Mega Superbet.

The Wolverines were bit by the injury bug throughout their trip. Moustapha Thiam, the team's starting center, exited in the first quarter of Michigan's first exhibition game after his lower right leg was rolled up on by Cadeau. Thiam didn't play in the next two exhibitions.

Ricky Liburd was sidelined for all three games and McKenney didn't suit up for the second contest as they "rested nagging injuries as a precaution," according to a program release. Jalen Reed (Achilles) and Lincoln Cosby (ACL) were also unavailable as they continue to rehab and work their way back from their respective surgeries.

During its first leg of the 10-day trip, Michigan fell to the Lithuania national team, 96-84, on Aug. 23 and the country's reserve squad, 82-77, on Aug. 24 in Lithuania.

The Wolverines are scheduled to return to the United States on Aug. 29 and will look to heal up as they continue preparations for the 2026-27 season.