Throughout the season, the narrative around men’s college basketball has been there Gonzaga and Baylor, and everyone else. The Zags and Bears were clearly the two best teams in the country, the prohibitive favorite national champions, and no one else was around. Instead of debates about number 1, the discussion has been about number 3, like now, who is the best of the rest? It’s a place that has bounced back from team to team for most of the last few months.
While Gonzaga and Baylor may still be at a higher level on the field because neither team has lost a game, Michigan argues that it is much closer to the Gonzaga / Baylor level than the “everyone” level.
It is an argument reinforced by the fact that the classified teams no. 4, 5, 6, 7 and 9 have suffered losses in the last five days. Of course, No. 4 is Ohio State, which saw Michigan enter Columbus on Sunday, score 92 points and leave with a declarative victory.
The Wolverines had another one this Thursday.
They overcame a slow first half against Iowa to finish with the Hawkeyes No. 9 in the gym in the second half, securing a dominant 79-57 victory. Michigan center Hunter Dickinson held on longer than his game against Iowa’s Luka Garza, forcing the Wood Award favorite to a 6-on-19 night from the field while scoring 14 points of his own at the other end. Franz Wagner, the Wolverines ’best NBA player, had 21 points and was consistent throughout the game, while Isaiah Livers made four triples and scored 16 points.
Michigan’s defense in the Big Ten game has been their business card, and that was no different Thursday. Entering the week, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, the lowest number of points Iowa had scored in the middle of the entire season was 31. The Hawkeyes did not reach that number in either of the two against Michigan. . And it wasn’t just Heron fighting. Iowa shot 6-on-19 from 3-point range, making just two shots from behind the arc in the second half.
Earlier in the season, Michigan began to gain some recognition as one of the best teams in the nation after a 23-point win over Wisconsin that wasn’t that close. Four days later, the Wolverines lost to Minnesota by 18. They followed that up with a couple of Big Ten wins, but then we didn’t see them play for 23 days due to a forced state break. So while there was evidence that Michigan was the third best team in the country, it was hard to really buy into the Wolverines because we didn’t know what they would be like after the break.
They have answered this question in an impressive way. They beat Wisconsin in their first game back, beat Rutgers and then won Sunday at Ohio State. Then came Thursday’s test against an Iowa team that has the best offense in the country and an improving defense. And the match had no doubt in the last 16 minutes of play.
Gonzaga and Baylor will continue to participate in the NCAA tournament as two favorites, unless one or both lose a game, but the gap between Michigan and the rest grows. It is a statement supported by metrics. The Wolverines are No. 3 in KenPom, No. 3 in Sagarin’s rankings and No. 3 in ESPN’s record strength. They are 7-1 against opponents in Quadrant 1 and 11-1 against opponents in Quadrant 1 and 2. KenPom’s tight margin of efficiency has had Gonzaga and Baylor ranked 1st and 2nd in either order since the first game Baylor of the season, but Michigan’s win on Thursday reduced Baylor’s lead to just 0.48. (Gonzaga has been constantly moving away from the group in the West Coast Conference play).
Michigan is elite at both ends of the floor. The Wolverines are one of the most efficient offensive teams in the country, shooting better by 39% from behind the arc, but they are also able to throw the ball to Dickinson on the block and get a basket. They have five players who have scored at least 20 triples this season with a clip of 36.7% or better. Wagner and Livers are versatile scorers on the wing. Mike Smith, the Columbia graduate transfer who went from averaging 22.8 points on 19.3 shots last season to averaging 8.6 points on 6.4 shots this season, has become a veteran player who delivers effectively, takes care of the ball and makes 3s open. Wake Forest transfer, Chaundee Brown, adds pop to the bench.
Defensively, coach Juwan Howard has several high-level individual defenders. Wagner has improved drastically at this end of the floor; Dickinson has just suffocated Heron and has shown that he can be dominant in glass; and Eli Brooks is one of the Big Ten’s best defenders. The Wolverines are excellent at shooting inside the arc and keeping opponents out of paint.
Howard is the national coach of the year favorite. He lost two senior starters last season to Zavier Simpson and Jon Teske, replaced them with Smith and Dickinson, and has that team buying at both ends of the floor.
And after Thursday, he also has a team that has separated in the upper crust of the college basketball scene.