At 11-3 on the season, Michigan basketball is ranked No. 13 in KenPom, and is the second-best Big Ten team in the nation. Yet, in the eyes of the coaches across college basketball, at times, the Wolverines have been lagging behind, outside of the top 25.
Sure, Dusty May’s outfit at times plays down to its competition and often squanders big leads. But the Wolverines have shot lights out, are a gritty team, and many have surmised could be a team poised to make an NCAA Tournament run when the time comes.
The coaches recognized this, finally, and Michigan basketball ended up being ranked in the latest USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll, at No. 24, with a Tuesday game at NO. 21 UCLA up next. It has a loss to No. 16 Oklahoma and two more to unranked Wake Forest and Arkansas, but is undefeated in Big Ten play thus far.
Here are the full rankings:
| Ranking | Team | Record | Points | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tennessee | 14-0 | 765 (21) | – |
| 2 | Auburn | 13-1 | 749 (10) | – |
| 3 | Iowa State | 12-1 | 711 | – |
| 4 | Duke | 12-2 | 670 | – |
| 5 | Alabama | 12-2 | 651 | +1 |
| 6 | Marquette | 13-2 | 581 | +2 |
| 7 | Kentucky | 12-2 | 560 | +4 |
| 8 | Florida | 13-1 | 529 | -3 |
| 9 | Texas A&M | 12-2 | 488 | +3 |
| 10 | UConn | 12-3 | 461 | +3 |
| 11 | Houston | 10-3 | 454 | +3 |
| 12 | Kansas | 10-3 | 438 | -5 |
| 13 | Mississippi State | 13-1 | 372 | +3 |
| 14 | Michigan State | 12-2 | 350 | +1 |
| 15 | Illinois | 11-3 | 300 | +5 |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 13-1 | 287 | -6 |
| 17 | Oregon | 13-2 | 284 | -8 |
| 18 | Gonzaga | 12-4 | 246 | +1 |
| 19 | Purdue | 11-4 | 228 | +3 |
| 20 | Memphis | 12-3 | 192 | +5 |
| 21 | UCLA | 11-3 | 147 | -3 |
| 22 | Ole Miss | 12-2 | 119 | +1 |
| 23 | West Virginia | 11-2 | 110 | +14 |
| 24 | Michigan | 11-3 | 98 | +5 |
| 25 | Utah State | 14-1 | 73 | +5 |