Michigan men’s basketball moves up to No. 20 in AP poll following two hard-fought wins

Michigan men’s basketball came in at No. 20 in Monday’s AP poll. It spent last week at No. 24 and toughed out two close wins over Oregon and Indiana, respectively. The Wolverines are heading into what is likely their most important game of the season so far, as they host Purdue on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

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Michigan basketball ranks No. 20 in AP poll, up from No. 24

The Boilermakers stayed at No. 7 and remain the highest ranked team in the Big Ten. Michigan State fell from No. 9 to No. 11 after going 1-1 last week, including a loss to UCLA. The other two ranked teams in the conference are Wisconsin (No. 16) and Maryland (No. 25). The Terrapins fell seven slots after a 1-1 week and a loss to Ohio State.

The Wolverines are on a four-game win streak, most recently beating Indiana on Saturday. They were up by as much as 17 in the second half, but the Hoosiers came back and forced a tight game. Danny Wolf, Vlad Goldin and Tre Donaldson showed up in a big way, combining for 56 of their team’s 70 points.

Michigan turned the ball over 12 times against Indiana, which is rather low given its struggles this season. The Wolverines are a bottom-20 team in the nation in terms of ball security, averaging 14.7 giveaways per game. They had 22 turnovers in the first go-round with Purdue, so they’ll hope to lower that number when they see each other again at the Crisler Center Tuesday.

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