How impressed should we be that Michigan is 5-0?
The record itself, against teams all ranking outside of the top-100, is nothing for the Wolverines to puff their chests about. But there was a lot to like in Michigan’s opening stretch, especially in its last two games. Michigan showed a lot of balance and depth, so much so that two of its top three scorers so far haven’t even started a game yet (Hunter Dickinson and Chaundee Brown Jr., more on them below). The Wolverines also seem to be able to score in a number of different ways, as they have shooters, slashers, a post presence and players who can operate in the midrange.
On-ball defense has been a minor concern, and it’s notable that Michigan has had to work for a couple of its wins despite entering every game as a heavy favorite. Still, the Wolverines look like a team worthy of being included in back portion of the top-25, and have done so while showcasing plenty of room for improvement.
Our best guess: Having seen every Big Ten team in action so far, we’d slot Michigan fifth, behind Iowa, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. Similar to the beginning of the season, we’d put the Wolverines in the same second tier as Ohio State, Indiana and Rutgers. One change is that we like Michigan’s odds to be competitive in every game more than before the season, as we have seen highly touted newcomers in action.
