MBB Ranked #9 in Week 3 AP Poll
https://collegebasketball.ap.org/poll
- UM is Top B1G team in Poll
- Sparty #11
- Iowa #20
- OSU #23
- Purdue #24
- Wisconsin #25
Upcoming opponent North Carolina is #7
November 19th, 2018 at 12:31 PM ^
Others Receiving Votes: #26 Nebraska, #27 Indiana, #28 Maryland, #29 Villanova, #30 Furman
Lots of mediocre love for the Big Ten (7 teams from 20-28)
November 19th, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^
B1G has 9 teams in the top 30!
ACC has 6
SEC has 5
Big12 has 3
Pac12 has 2
November 19th, 2018 at 4:34 PM ^
That's great, but it's early. Basketball is a looooooooong season
November 19th, 2018 at 12:34 PM ^
RANK FURMAN YOU COWARDS!!!
I am SO ready for top ten UNC-Michigan
November 19th, 2018 at 12:45 PM ^
C-Webb revenge tour.
November 19th, 2018 at 2:05 PM ^
Also revenge for last season.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
The season is obviously still very, very young, but as of right now, Big 10 teams collectively have a total of 6 losses. That's not too shabby.
Anyway, I'm pretty happy with UM's top 10 ranking -- and well deserved!
November 19th, 2018 at 7:49 PM ^
Could be less too, Indiana punted that Arkansas game.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
I hate that thier is rankings inertia this early in the year.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:02 PM ^
2013 was awful when the team did poorly at the end of the regular season. Those chumps never amounted to anything. To think they were ranked #1 before the end of the year. Smh.
November 19th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
Reading that was how I imagine talking to John O'Neill must feel.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:35 PM ^
Super excited for this team to continue growing. Already clicking defensively and continuing to get better offensively. Also, the positional versatility on this team is nothing like I've seen from a Beilein team
November 19th, 2018 at 12:38 PM ^
I think we're probably still underrated, at least from the point of view of who will finish where in the NCAA tournament come spring.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:08 PM ^
It's a bit early to be indignant about a top 10 ranking because you feel we're a lock for great or 8 or better in the tourney... 4 months from now. I'm excited too, but we might not have even played a tournament team yet. Villanova might get better but they are a mess right now. Providence is the next best team and they are much younger than their past tourney teams. Let's worry about beating UNC or any conference games before declaring the final 4 a lock.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:47 PM ^
I think that Providence is a tournament squad. They have length and athleticism, but they’re young in the backcourt. I think they’ll make hay in a down Big East.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:52 PM ^
Yes, but you're beating borderline tournament teams but 20 and 30 points, away from home, you're doing pretty good.
Probably underrated by a couple spots, but I agree with you that one would be kind of splitting hairs between some other teams that haven't really been tested and about whom we don't much.
Beat UNC and the team will be top 5. Do that and win the conference and the team will be a number 1 seed.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:42 PM ^
There are also ten B1G teams among the top-40 teams on KenPom. The conference appears to be back.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
12 in the top 46!!! That's insane. Seems like the best case scenario for all Big Ten teams is coming to fruition (expcept maybe MSU, but they're still probably meeting their surprisingly lofty expectations).
- Young players for IU are really good
- Iowa is playing some defense (which is good when combined with their offense)
- Michigan defense is indeed better than it was last year
- Carson Edwards is dominant
- Wisconsin youth has made a leap and their late season success was built upon
- Nebraska returned almost everyone and has built upon a nice season last year
- Marylands young guys are filling holes
There will be so few nights off in the conference. Winner might have 5+ losses. Amazingly, kenpom projects M to win the conference outright...at just 13-7 with only two teams projected to have fewer than 9 wins.
Obviously, randomness will spread the results a bit more than that, but pretty crazy projections.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
A great last week for the basketball team! This could be another great year for the program. And finally, we're deservedly ranked higher than the overrated Spartans. I swear MSU gets at least a 5 to 10 spot bump in the rankings every year only because of Izzo's rapidly fading reputation. Whatever the guy did in the past, today, Beilein is a far better coach.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:48 PM ^
Since we're talking rankings, Rutgers is #136 on KenPom. The next worse B1G team is Illinois at #76. Everyone else is in the top 50.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:51 PM ^
Oh, crap. You mean Rutgers has a basketball team in the Big Ten too?
November 19th, 2018 at 12:54 PM ^
Rutger*
November 19th, 2018 at 2:02 PM ^
Question that needs answering before conference season: What's the basketball equivalent of a football Rutger? Maybe more points than 2*(opponent true shot attempts)? That strikes me as closest parallel, but seems a bit convoluted...
November 19th, 2018 at 12:59 PM ^
Yeah until it gets to conference play and the B1G starts beating up on eachother. Then all of the idiots will come out of the woodwork around the country saying that all these other teams are better than the B1G teams because of all of their losses. Just like in football. One thing you can always count on. Idiots will always be stupid. I should make a t-shirt. Make a couple thousand.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:45 PM ^
That obviously happens in every conference.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:58 PM ^
Not in the SEC.
November 19th, 2018 at 2:06 PM ^
"Idiots will always be stupid."
That's deep man. Deep.
November 19th, 2018 at 3:09 PM ^
How about,”Are you stupid or dumb?”
November 19th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^
That's kind of high.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:53 PM ^
I think if Villanova would have come out and just wrecked furman we would have been even a little higher. Unfortunately they lost, which capped our upwards mobility based on that game. There are a few teams that I think are tier 1 right now (duke leading that group), but I think we are firmly in tier 2 atm. Beilein teams always improve drastically over the season too so I am pretty damn excited to see how this season goes.
November 19th, 2018 at 3:08 PM ^
I would say Duke is in Tier 1 by themselves. We would then be in Tier 3.
November 19th, 2018 at 12:57 PM ^
This team is red hot right now and they are VERY fun to watch. Best I've ever seen a Beilein team in November. Could be a really fun season. This team could have a very high ceiling and I think they're already better than last year. I hope they keep this up and man I hope they stick it to UNC.
GO BLUE!!!! DESTROY!!!!
November 19th, 2018 at 1:44 PM ^
Their ceiling is the roof!
November 19th, 2018 at 12:58 PM ^
a bit of culture shock
I'm not used to us being this good this early. It's refreshing of course but I don't know how to handle it!
November 19th, 2018 at 1:45 PM ^
Still a lot of improvement (especially on offense) possible. BIG regular season and tournament championships are in sight!
November 19th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
Let's get a regular season conference title and bring on Duke in the final four. Probably a better team than last year so why not do the two things last years team couldn't do?
November 19th, 2018 at 1:03 PM ^
Very Deserving Ranking
The defense is in mid-season form and will win tough games when our offense sputters. Having so many interchangable parts and in game coaching adjustments make us someone you don't want to play.
Watch out for Virginia. They will beat Duke.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
We have more wins than any Top 25 team. Therefore, we should be ranked #1
#Disrespkt
November 19th, 2018 at 1:10 PM ^
I haven’t been this excited for Michigan basketball since April 2018.
November 19th, 2018 at 1:13 PM ^
Wow, that’s very cool. Good for them. A lot of season to go yet but nice they are being recognized for the way they’ve played this far. Go Blue!
November 19th, 2018 at 1:35 PM ^
We are #7 in kenpom, and the #1 defensive team. No one would've thought that a John Beilein team would ever accomplish that just a couple years ago. Simply amazing evolution.
November 19th, 2018 at 2:07 PM ^
Hate being behind Auburn and Tennessee - every year these "non-Kentucky" SEC schools get all kinds of hype, with these amazing athletes that can jump to the moon. And every year they end the season sucking and proving they were overrated (and dont give me the injury garbage - take that to the TS Committee). Think 8 teams went to the tourney last year - and I am pretty sure only two made it to the Sweet 16, and none to the Elite 8 - though Michigan had to battle Texas A&M in that squeaker.
Screw Auburn and Tennessee - and Nevada for that matter. Our D would/will shut their asses down, butt quick.
Go Blue!!!
November 19th, 2018 at 2:08 PM ^
HAIL!!
November 19th, 2018 at 2:32 PM ^
Right now, it is CLEAR that Michigan is the best combo football/basketball school in the NCAA. We may make the title game for both within the same year. Outstanding.
November 19th, 2018 at 3:04 PM ^
IF Michigan were to make the Final Four in Football that would be mean like 6 or 7 sports that finished in their sports Final Four or Finished Top 4 in their national meet...Pretty darn impressive