The Michigan men’s basketball team’s push for the perch atop the AP Poll Top 25 rankings has been postponed, as their first loss of the season at the hands of Wisconsin dropped them down in the rankings.
The voters didn’t view the loss as catastrophic, and Michigan only dropped two spots from No. 2 to No. 4.
In their last two games, the Wolverines have looked mortal once more. After two months of walloping opponents with ease, the start of Big Ten play has brought them back down to earth. They narrowly escaped against Penn State, winning 74-72, but Wisconsin finished the job, riding a red-hot second half to bring down Michigan, 91-88.
The Badgers exploited the Wolverines’ unique defensive scheme. They ran the pick-and-pop with their capable-shooting big men, and since junior center Aday Mara was in drop coverage, they got wide open looks and made them.
The games against Penn State and Wisconsin showed that Michigan is beatable, but the Wolverines still have everything in front of them. They’ve proven that they can play like the best team in the country, they just have to sustain that level of play throughout the season.
Big Ten play is a grind, and losses like the one to Wisconsin are bound to happen. The most important thing is how the team responds, and it will get its chance this week on a west-coast road trip at Washington on Wednesday and at Oregon on Saturday.
Here are the complete AP Poll rankings from Week 10:
- Arizona
- Iowa State
- UConn
- Michigan
- Purdue
- Duke
- Houston
- Nebraska
- Gonzaga
- Vanderbilt
- BYU
- Michigan State
- Illinois
- North Carolina
- Texas Tech
- Virginia
- Arkansas
- Alabama
- Florida
- Louisville
- Georgia
- Clemson
- Utah State
- Tennessee
- Seton Hall
Other teams receiving votes: Saint Louis, Kansas, Iowa, Miami (Ohio), Villanova, Wisconsin, Miami, Texas A&M, UCF, Saint Mary’s, SMU, Auburn, George Mason, NC State, USC, St. John’s.
What Can Michigan Do To Rise Again?
The simple answer will always be to win games. There is no better remedy for a loss than a bounceback win. But for the Wolverines, they need to get back to their dominant ways and remind everyone — including themselves — of what they can do.
Washington figures to be a middle-of-the-road Big Ten team this season. They have nice pieces like guard Desmond Claude and freshman forward Hannes Steinbach, but they’ve yet to put it all together. They certainly could cause issues for Michigan, especially since the game is in Washington, but it’s a great chance for the Wolverines to get another Quad 1 win under their belt.
Oregon, on the other hand, has been having an uncharacteristically bad season. It is 1-4 in the Big Ten and sits at 102 in NET ranking. Still, the Ducks are a scary team because they do have a lot of talent, so regardless of where they are ranked, winning on the road in Eugene would be a solid win.
It doesn’t have to be by 40 points, but if Michigan can go 2-0 on the west coast and return to the version of itself that was demoralizing teams with defense and transition play, it can get right back on track after a bit of a speed bump.
