Michigan Men’s Basketball ranked No. 14 in AP Poll, Women’s ranked No. 20

Michigan men’s basketball (8-1, 2-0 Big Ten) can’t quite surprise people anymore, as it appeared at No. 14 in the AP poll this week. The last time the Wolverines showed up in the top 25 they were 2-0 under Juwan Howard on Nov. 14, 2022. New head coach Dusty May has the nation on notice just one month into his first season in the driver’s seat.

Michigan MBB ranked 14th in AP Poll

The Wolverines are riding a seven-game win streak in which they beat a ranked opponent in back-to-back games. Michigan topped Xavier (No. 22 at the time) 78-53 and No. 11 Wisconsin (now No. 20) 67-64. Most recently, the maize and blue came out with a 85-83 win over a solid Iowa (7-2) squad on Saturday. 

New: Michigan MBB holds on against Iowa 85-83, extends winning streak to seven games

In addition to May, Michigan is back in the national conversation largely because of its transfer players. The most notable additions were two seven footers in forward Danny Wolf (Yale) and center Vladislav Goldin (FAU). Point guard Tre Donaldson (Auburn) is another must-mention.

Michigan is ranked top 30 in the country in blocks per game (5.2), effective field goal percentage (57.3%), and points allowed per game (63.1). Wolf has four double-doubles this season, which is tied for fourth best in the nation. 

The maize and blue have a chance to put pressure on the rest of the Big Ten this week, as they play Arkansas on ESPN on Tuesday in New York City.

Michigan WBB ranked 20th in AP Poll, previously 23rd

On the women’s side, the Wolverines (8-1, 1-0 Big Ten) have rattled off eight wins in a row since losing a close game to No. 1 South Carolina (68-62) to open the season. Michigan welcomed the highest rated recruiting class in program history this season, and its bearing the fruits of its labor.

Four of Michigan’s five leading scorers are freshmen, including Syla Swords (17.4 ppg) and Olivia Olson (16.3 ppg) at the top. Swords, the youngest Canadian basketball player in the 2024 Olympics, could be the best freshman in the country. Swords also leads the Wolverines in rebounds per game (7.7) and steals per game (2.1).

Over the course of their eight-game win streak, Michigan has outscored opponents by an average of 37.3 points. The closest win of the season came in Sunday’s 60-54 victory over Northwestern (4-4). The next test for the Wolverines comes in the form of Detroit Mercy (6-1) on Saturday. They will get another chance at a ranked opponent on Dec. 17 when No. 10 Oklahoma (8-1) travels to Ann Arbor.

More: Michigan OL Andrew Gentry, two others jump in transfer portal

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