GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Two of the top college basketball programs in the country meet in downtown Grand Rapids on Sunday, when defending national champion Michigan faces No. 10 Houston at Van Andel Arena.
Tipoff for the neutral-site game, billed as The Battleground 2k26, is set for 1 p.m., and it streams on B1G+. The event also raises money for children in the Grand Rapids area. Van Andel, home of the Griffins and the Grand Rapids Gold, turned 30 this month after opening on Oct. 8, 1996.
Michigan, ranked 16th, is 2-0 in exhibitions after beating Eastern Michigan 87-62 and Oregon State 98-93. Elliot Cadeau scored 27 against Oregon State. It is the first season for head coach Mike Boynton Jr., and the Wolverines open for real on Nov. 2 against Oakland.
Houston, under Kelvin Sampson in his 13th season, routed Montana Tech 110-53 in its only other exhibition. Forward Delrecco Gillespie, a Kent State transfer, grew up in Benton Harbor, roughly 80 miles from Grand Rapids.
Michigan leads the all-time series 3-1. The last meeting came in the 2018 NCAA Tournament, a one-point Michigan win.
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