Michigan Wolverines Basketball Moves Up In Power Rankings
Click HERE to sign up for a subscription to TheWolverine.com and get your FREE gift code for $99 in Michigan apparel and gear!
After Michigan moved up to No. 2 in the AP poll Monday, the Wolverines also climbed up in the power rankings of some of college basketball’s top analysts.
• In Andy Katz of NCAA.com’s Power 36 college basketball rankings, Michigan remains the top team in the rankings.
“The Wolverines are holding steady at my No. 1 spot in the Power 36 after continuing to swat away challenges,” Katz writes. “Freshman Ignas Brazdeikis scored 19 points in a win over Air Force as he continues to mount a campaign to be one of the top freshmen in the country. The Wolverines have held four of their past five opponents to under 65 points.”
• In Jeff Borzello of ESPN’s power rankings, the Wolverines moved up from the three spot to the two spot in this week’s rankings.
“Where will Michigan suffer its first loss?” Borzello writes. “The Wolverines' next three games are in Ann Arbor, and their next road game comes at Illinois. We'll take a couple guesses: at Wisconsin on Jan. 19 or at Indiana on Jan. 25. They're both road games, and both teams can guard. Michigan's defense has taken a slight step back since the early season, but it's still among the elite.”
• In Garry Parrish of CBS’s Top 25 And 1 ranking, he has the Wolverines as the fifth-best team in the country, behind Tennessee, Duke, Nevada and Virginia.
“Ignas Brazdeikis finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Saturday's win over Air Force,” Parrish writes. “Michigan's perfect record features wins over North Carolina, Villanova, Purdue and Northwestern.”
• In Jerry Palm of CBS’s latest NCAA Tournament projection, he has the Wolverines as one of the No. 1 seeds, playing in the South region as the third best seed overall in the tournament.
• In the latest NET rankings, Michigan remains as the third best team in the country.
• In Lukas Harkins of Busting Brackets’s power rankings, Michigan moved up from No. 3 to No. 1 this week.
“Merry Christmas, Michigan fans!” Harkins writes. “Thanks to the best resume in the country, in my opinion, Michigan launches into the No. 1 spot in my top-25+ power rankings for the first time this season. In addition to being one of the only undefeated teams left in the nation, the Wolverines have a great collection of wins (although their SOS only ranks at 148th). Head coach John Beilein’s team already has victories over Villanova, Providence, North Carolina, Purdue, and Northwestern.
“Michigan’s defense, which is ranked fourth in the nation in AdjD, has been the calling card of the team so far this season while shutting teams down in just about every facet. The Wolverines might not force a ton of turnovers but they rank in the top-15 in defensive effective field goal percentage, opponent offensive rebounding percentage, and opponent free throw rate. Add in the fact that Ignas Brazdeikis, Charles Matthews, and Jordan Poole make up a dangerous offensive trio and this team can win in many ways.”
---
• Talk about this article inside The Fort
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Learn more about our print and digital publication, The Wolverine
• Follow us on Twitter: @TheWolverineMag, @BSB_Wolverine, @JB_ Wolverine, @AustinFox42, @Balas_Wolverine, @DrewCHallett and @Qb9Adam.
• Like us on Facebook