Published Feb 15, 2019
Michigan Is On An Incredible Run Against Ranked Opponents The Last 2 Years
Austin Fox  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer
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A narrative has developed this season involving Michigan playing its best ball against the top competition, and that sentiment has been accurate, with the Wolverines posting an impressive 5-0 mark against teams ranked inside the AP top-25.

The program will attempt to run that record to 6-0 tomorrow afternoon when No. 24 Maryland comes to town.

U-M's incredible run against ranked foes dates back further than just the start of this season, however.

In fact, Michigan has compiled a 9-1 record in its last 10 contests against top-25 foes, dating back to mid-February of last season (with the lone loss occurring in last year's National Championship to Villanova).

The Wolverines are also 15-5 in their last 20 matchups against such competition, and hold a 6-4 mark against clubs ranked in the top-10 since late February of 2017.

Michigan's Last 20 Games Against Ranked Opponents
* — neutral location
DateGameResult

Feb. 9, 2019

(No. 19) Wisconsin

W, 61-52

Jan. 6, 2019

(No. 21) Indiana

W, 74-63

Dec. 1, 2018

(No. 19) Purdue

W, 76-57

Nov. 28, 2018

(No. 11) North Carolina

W, 84-67

Nov. 14, 2018

@ (No. 8) Villanova

W, 73-46

Apr. 2, 2018

vs. (No. 2) Villanova*

L, 79-62

Mar. 17, 2018

vs. (No. 21) Houston*

W, 64-63

Mar. 4, 2018

vs. (No. 8) Purdue*

W, 75-66

Mar. 3, 2018

vs. (No. 2) Michigan State*

W, 75-64

Feb. 18, 2018

(No. 8) Ohio State

W, 74-62

Jan. 25, 2018

@ (No. 3) Purdue

L, 92-88

Jan. 13, 2018

@ (No. 4) Michigan State

W, 82-72

Jan. 9, 2018

(No. 5) Purdue

L, 70-69

Dec. 9, 2017

(No. 23) UCLA

W, 78-69

Nov. 29, 2017

@ (No. 13) North Carolina

L, 86-71

Mar. 23, 2017

vs. (No. 9) Oregon*

L, 69-68

Mar. 19, 2017

vs. (No. 10) Louisville*

W, 73-69

Mar. 12, 2017

vs. (No. 24) Wisconsin*

W, 71-56

Mar. 10, 2017

vs. (No. 13) Purdue*

W, 74-70

Feb. 25, 2017

(No. 14) Purdue

W, 82-70

Michigan hasn't just beaten all five of the ranked foes it has faced this season — it has dominated them, winning by an average of 16.6 points.

Granted, the 27-point victory at No. 8 Villanova skews those numbers a bit, but even when excluding that matchup, the average margin of victory is still 14.

The run the Maize and Blue are on against top-10 competition is perhaps even more impressive.

U-M has racked up a 4-1 record in its last five showdowns with top-10 squads, and a 5-2 mark in the last seven.

Some of the most notable victories during that span have included the two triumphs over top-5 Michigan State clubs last season, and the nine-point win over No. 8 Purdue in last year's Big Ten Tournament championship.

It's also worth noting how tight U-M's losses have been on the chart above.

Two of the five have been by a single point (69-68 against No. 9 Oregon in the 2017 NCAA Tournament, and 70-69 to No. 5 Purdue at Crisler in 2018), along with a four-point setback at No. 3 Purdue last season.

On top of that, only one of the five losses has occurred in Ann Arbor (last year against the Boilermakers), with the Maize and Blue posting an 8-1 record against top-25 foes at Crisler Center since the start of the 2016-17 campaign.

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