For the first time in 13 years, Michigan basketball is ranked as the No. 1 team in the AP Poll.
The Wolverines are 24-1 and 14-1 in the Big Ten, and following a 30-point win over UCLA on Saturday, Michigan took over the top spot after being No. 2 last week. Arizona was previously ranked No. 1, but lost consecutive games to Kansas and Texas Tech, opening the door for U-M.
It's an incredible achievement. It's not a national championship or something that you would hang a banner for, but being the No. 1 team means something, especially when it has been over a decade.
The No. 1 ranking shows how far Michigan basketball has come
Two years ago, before Dusty May was hired as the head coach, the Wolverines won just eight games. It was the lowest-win total in program history.
Turns out, Michigan just needed to hit rock bottom. That led to hiring May, which transformed the program back to the John Beilein level overnight.
May hung a banner with his first team, which won the Big Ten tournament championship. The Wolverines also advanced to the Sweet 16.
This offseason, May was determined to build a team good enough to win the national championship. There is a long way to go, but it's definitely capable. Achieving that is incredibly difficult. Last year's Duke team was comparable in terms of the analytics and the Blue Devils lost in the Final Four.
Michigan will play No. 3 Duke on Saturday in Washington, D.C. The Wolverines also have to play seventh-ranked Purdue on Tuesday, on the road, in a game that could determine if Michigan wins the Big Ten title outright.
So the Wolverines will have to defend the ranking, but for now at least, it feels good to have Michigan on top of the college basketball top 25 for the first time in over a decade.