Michigan Earns Another Boost In Latest AP Poll
After two wins over top-10 teams last week, Michigan got a small bump in the AP Poll. Here are the rankings and what they mean…
It was a big week for the Michigan men’s basketball team, and its efforts were recognized by the AP Poll Top 25 rankings voters.
After beating two top-10 opponents — then-No. 5 Nebraska and then-No. 7 Michigan State — the Wolverines reclaimed the No. 2 position that they’ve occupied for much of the season.
The first test of the week came Tuesday against Nebraska, and it was a nail-biter. The Cornhuskers had control of the game for much of the night, but when the final horn sounded, Michigan had a 75-72 advantage. The Wolverines made a lot of mistakes, such as turning the ball over 19 times, but they were still able to come away with an impressive win at home.
They had little time to relish in their top-5 victory, because Friday night marked a massive showdown in East Lansing against Michigan State. Michigan played a much more sound game than it did against Nebraska, and even jumped out to an 18-point lead late in the first half.
The lead didn’t stick, though, and the Spartans stormed back in the second half, even taking a brief lead down the stretch. Still, the Wolverines stamped out the comeback attempt and earned a hard-fought 83-71 rivalry victory on the road.
As a result, Nebraska fell down four spots to No. 9, and Michigan State sits right behind them at No. 10.
Arizona retained the top spot with its 22-0 record, one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation (Miami (OH)).
Here are the complete AP Poll rankings from Week 13:
- Arizona
- Michigan
- UConn
- Duke
- Illinois
- Gonzaga
- Iowa State
- Houston
- Nebraska
- Michigan State
- Kansas
- Purdue
- Texas Tech
- North Carolina
- Vanderbilt
- BYU
- Florida
- Virginia
- Saint Louis
- Clemson
- Arkansas
- St. John’s
- Miami (OH)
- Louisville
- Tennessee
Other teams receiving votes: Texas A&M, Alabama, Iowa, UCF, Kentucky, Villanova, NC State, Auburn, Utah State, Miami, Georgia, Santa Clara, George Mason, Wisconsin.
What Can Michigan Do To Become No. 1?
Even two top-10 wins in a week didn’t sway any voters, as Arizona once again retained the No. 1 position by unanimous decision. This isn’t incredibly surprising, as the Wildcats are undefeated, while Michigan has one loss. The voters have historically been unwilling to punish teams for simply winning the games put in front of them, so Arizona sticks at the top.
And unless Arizona loses this week, the best the Wolverines will be able to do is stay at No. 2. They take on Penn State at home on Thursday, then they travel to Columbus to battle Ohio State on Sunday. While a road win against the Buckeyes would fall into the Quad 1 category, neither victory would be impressive enough to pass up Arizona if it, too, remained undefeated.
Even though Penn State and Ohio State aren’t the same caliber of teams as Nebraska and Michigan State, the Wolverines can’t afford to get comfortable. Instead of treating these games as a break from top competition, they have to continue to put together complete games.
As the calendar turns to February, games start to mean a lot more for every team in the country. A team like Ohio State which finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble is in desperate need of a signature win, and taking down No. 2 Michigan would be a perfect resume booster.
Indeed, the Wolverines should take care of both of these teams on paper, but anything can happen in the back half of the Big Ten season.
