Michigan Wolverines Basketball Near The Top Of Power Rankings
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Starting the season 11-0, the Michigan Wolverines reside towards the top of nearly every outlets power rankings. Here’s where the Wolverines stand, according to college basketball experts:
- Andy Katz of NCAA.com still has Michigan as the best team in his weekly Power Rankings.
“There is no reason to knock the Wolverines from the perch,” Katz wrote. “I’m still all in on this team being the most complete team.”
- In ESPN’s Power Rankings, Michigan stays at the No. 3 spot.
“Michigan is still missing some of that killer instinct we saw in November, as the Wolverines' five worst defensive performances of the season have come in their past five games,” ESPN’s Jeff Borzello writes. “They should have a chance to correct some of those issues over the next few weeks, as Air Force and Binghamton come to Ann Arbor before Big Ten play.”
- In Sports Illustrated’s Power Rankings, Michigan moved up one spot this week to No. 4 in the rankings.
- In CBS Sports.com Top 25 and 1 Rankings, Garry Parrish has the Wolverines as the sixth best team in the country.
“Charles Matthews finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's win over Western Michigan,” Parrish writes. “Barring a huge upset, the Wolverines will finish the non-league portion of their schedule with zero losses.”
- In CBS Sport.com’s Jerry Palm Bracketology, the Wolverines are slated to earn a No. 1 for the NCAA Tournament in the South regional as Palm has Michigan as the third best seed in the country.
- In Matt Norlander of CBS Sports’s Power Rankings, Michigan is the No. 1 team in the nation.
“The 10-0 Wolverines are No. 1 because they're the best combination of being undefeated and have looked the most dominant,” Norlander wrote. “Michigan has the No. 1-ranked defense in America, has wins away from home against Villanova, Providence and Northwestern, and also owns victories against North Carolina and Purdue. It's also made a habit of holding opponents to 10, 15, 20, even 30 points below their scoring average. This team already looks better than the group that made last season's national title game.”
- NBC Sports.com’s Rob Dauster continues to have Michigan as the second best team in the country, right below the Duke Blue Devils.
- Lukas Harkins of Busting Brackets moved Michigan up from No. 4 to No. 3 this week in his rankings.
“What else is there to say about the Wolverines this season aside from the fact that they have been dominant?,” Harkins writes. “A clear-cut top-5 team in the nation, head coach John Beilein’s team has been absolutely superb seemingly every single minute that they have been on the court this season. With an undefeated 11-0 record that includes wins over Villanova, Providence, North Carolina, Purdue, and Northwestern, this team has a legitimate case to the top team in the nation right now.
“To point out one individual, in particular, sophomore guard Jordan Poole is not getting nearly the amount of national attention he deserves. Maybe I am alone in this thought but Poole just looks like a future NBA player when he is on the court. He has great size, confidence, and the ability to knock down big shots. He is the third leading scorer on the team at this point in time but could be the go-to player as the season continues.”
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