Michigan Inches Closer To Top Spot In Latest AP Poll

As the Michigan men’s basketball team has continued its stretch of domination, it crawls ever closer to its first No. 1 ranking in the AP Poll Top 25 since 2013.

This week wasn’t the breakthrough for the Wolverines however, as they moved up just one spot from No. 3 to No. 2 following their 41-point rout of Rutgers.

Purdue’s blowout loss to Iowa State dropped the Boilermakers from the No. 1 spot down to No. 6, and the Cyclones jumped from No. 10 to No. 4. Arizona took over as the top-ranked team after beating Auburn by 29 points.

The AP Poll can be fickle. The voters tend to hesitate to punish teams for winning games, meaning as long as a team doesn’t lose, they’re unlikely to slip down the rankings. In the case of Arizona and Michigan, that’s how it played out. 

The Wildcats were ranked above the Wolverines in last week’s poll, and both teams convincingly won their games, so there was no flip-flopping in the rankings. Arizona played Auburn, a team Michigan beat by 30, so if the Wildcats struggled, there might have been a chance that Michigan could leapfrog them. Instead, they nearly replicated the Wolverines’ win, so the order stayed put.

Whether it’s ranked No. 1 or No. 2, nothing changes just how dominant Michigan has been over its last four games. Both on offense and defense, everything has looked polished and nearly unstoppable. The Wolverines’ combination of size and athleticism has given opponents fits, and they’ve won by a combined 151 points in their last four games as a result.

Here are the complete AP Poll Top 25 rankings from Week 5:

Other teams receiving votes: Iowa, Oklahoma State, USC, Georgia, Saint Mary’s, Seton Hall, Kentucky, Wisconsin, Indiana, Clemson, LSU, Villanova, California, Notre Dame, Miami, SMU, TCU, Arizona State, Miami (Ohio), St. Bonaventure.

In reality, the question is more, ‘What does Arizona have to do to lose the No. 1 spot?’ If the Wildcats and Wolverines both continue to win games, it’s likely that there won’t be any movement at the top of the rankings.

Both teams boast a blowout win over No. 21 Auburn, and both teams have taken down a top-10 team. Michigan obliterated No. 8 Gonzaga by 40, and Arizona outlasted No. 5 UConn by a final score of 71-67. While the Wolverines’ win was much more convincing, the voters don’t seem to value margin of victory as heavily as the advanced metrics do.

Regardless, if Michigan continues to beat teams by 40 points on a regular basis, the voters will probably have a hard time keeping it out of the top spot. 

The Wolverines’ next matchup is against Villanova on Tuesday. While Villanova isn’t the same powerhouse it used to be under former head coach Jay Wright, it should still prove to offer more of a test than Rutgers did. 

Villanova is one of the best offensive rebounding teams in the country so far this year, but they haven’t played many teams with a plethora of size. Michigan’s imposing frontcourt may be able to limit second-chance opportunities and force Villanova into more one-shot possessions than it would like.

While the Wolverines love to play fast, Villanova plays at a snail’s pace, so it will most likely be a battle of wills when it comes to the speed of the game. Whichever team can force the other to play out of its comfort zone will be at a distinct advantage.