Michigan basketball still isn't ranked as the consensus No. 1 team in college basketball, but that decision is getting harder and harder to defend by AP Poll voters.
That's because the Wolverines aren't just beating opponents, the are dominating them. And not just the average or above-average teams either. Michigan basketball has beaten the best of the best in college basketball with ease.
Friday's win over 24th-ranked USC was just the latest example. Despite shooting poorly from 3-point range and missing two starters for most of the second half due to injury, Michigan basketball rolled past the Trojans 96-66.
Via ESPN Research: Michigan is the first team in AP Poll history to win three straight games against ranked opponents by 30 points. Beat Auburn and Gonzaga in Vegas and now USC. https://t.co/UpHtOO3ewt
— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) January 3, 2026
Michigan basketball makes history again
It was the third straight 30-point win for the Wolverines over an AP Poll Top 25 opponent, which makes Michigan basketball the first-ever program to achieve that feat. U-M also beat Gonzaga by 40 in the championship game of the Players Era tournament. Michigan also beat Auburn in the same tournament, a Final Four from last season, by 30 points.
However, despite all that history and having one of the best Kenpom rankings of all time, Michigan basketball is still ranked second behind Arizona in the AP Poll.
It's hard to make sense of that. Arizona has beaten some great opponents. There's no denying that, but Michigan basketball has been historically good on its way to a 13-0 start.
As Dusty May said, the only thing that matters is being ranked No. 1 after the NCAA tournament in April. That's the goal for this program, and after the first two months of the season, it looks very achievable.