Michigan Basketball: Do the Wolverines deserve to be in top 25?

The AP college basketball poll was released Monday and while Michigan basketball received a vote, it wasn’t ranked. But should it be?

As we know, polls don’t really matter in the grand scheme of things in college sports. However, when the AP hoops poll was released this week, there was hope that Michigan basketball might get some more attention. Or at least some more votes.

In last week’s AP poll, the Michigan basketball team got just one vote, despite recent impressive wins over UCLA and Texas. The Wolverines played Alabama A&M this past week, a weak opponent, but beat them handily.

Obviously, that win wasn’t going to impress the pollsters, but at 11-3, the Wolverines deserve more consideration than they are getting. However, when the poll was released Monday, Michigan basketball still got just one vote.

Like I said, getting ranked in the AP poll isn’t really a goal for any college basketball team, but still, the Wolverines need more love. UM knocked off Texas and UCLA, yet both of those teams are ahead of Michigan with 21 votes and 13 votes respectively.

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According to the KenPom rankings, Michigan basketball is the 31st best team in the country. The Wolverines have the 44th best offense and the 23rd ranked defense. The Wolverines also have four top-100 wins (Indiana, VCU, Texas, UCLA) with one coming on the road and another on a neutral court.

Unfortunately, the Wolverines didn’t get tons of hype entering the season, so before they get the recognition they deserve, they will need to open some more eyes. Beating Jacksonville Sunday isn’t really going to help.

But, after that, Michigan basketball has Big Ten games against Iowa, Illinois and Purdue. Iowa and Illinois are both top-100 teams, while Purdue is currently ranked 14th. If Michigan wins those three games, along with its last non-conference game, the Wolverines would be 15-3. They would also be 4-1 in the Big Ten.

Beating Iowa on the road won’t be a cakewalk. Illinois and Purdue at home won’t be easy either. The Boliermakers look like a legit Big Ten contender again, so that Jan. 9 matchup will tell us a lot about the Wolverines.

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The good thing for Michigan, is that if the NCAA Tournament started today, it would be in without a doubt. But if the Wolverines can keep their run going these next few games, they should finally start getting the national attention from the polls too.