After securing the top spot in the KenPom, NET ranking, EvanMiya.com and Bart Torvik, the Michigan Wolverines secured the top ranking in the final list — the AP Poll — on Monday afternoon. As Michigan continues to sit in a perfect spot to be a 1-seed in the NCAA Tournament, most agree that the Wolverines are the top program.
Michigan has only been No. 1 in four previous seasons: 1964-65, 1976-77, 1992-93 and 2012-13. The milestone does not guarantee anything, but the turnaround that head coach Dusty
May has put together is meant for congratulations and appreciation. Two years into his tenure, anMay has a Big Ten Tournament championship, a Sweet Sixteen appearance, and now the top spot in college basketball.
“Our personnel last year, we didn’t have enough dogs to win the league,” May said earlier this month. “I loved our guys last year, but we just didn’t have enough dogs, and so we were able to solve those issues in recruiting. We were close (last year), but we just didn’t have enough. And sometimes it’s just being a year older, and sometimes, I think our staff did a great job of being intentional about fixing the things that needed to be fixed, instead of just hoping that things change or go away. So, we learned from all of our tough experiences last year, but to be honest, this year, we expected to win. We like our team a lot. We think there’s great substance.”
With that expectation in mind, you may not be surprised to hear that May is not putting any credence into the top ranking his team received on Monday.
Being ranked No. 1 in February does not guarantee that Michigan will win the National Championship in April. For that reason, May acknowledges while it is exciting for the program and for the fan base, for him personally, it doesn’t mean anything.
“It says that we have a really talented group of people — coaches, players, support staff, everyone involved — that make each other better,” May said ahead of the team’s top ranking. “I think if you take several of our guys away, then we’re not near as good. It’s what they bring to the table, it’s how we embrace each other and our strengths.
“As far as the No. 1 ranking, it means absolutely nothing right now. I don’t know, any staff that I’ve ever been on, what we were ranked at the end of the year, to be honest. I don’t recall and don’t really care. It’s awesome for our fans. It’s cool for the energy and intensity that it brings to the games and being able to do cool things like College GameDay and whatnot. But as far as internally or emotionally, it doesn’t mean anything.”
May has all of the reason to believe that, especially with the gauntlet of a schedule his team has coming up. With a two-game lead in the Big Ten standings, the Wolverines close the regular season at No. 7 Purdue, vs No. 3 Duke in Washington D.C., home against Minnesota, at No. 10 Illinois, at Iowa (KenPom No. 25) and home against No. 15 Michigan State.
It has been a special season so far, as this the first Michigan team since the Fab Five in 1992-93 to have multiple double-digit win streaks in a single season. Add that up with the best start in program history at 24-1 (including 14-1 in Big Ten play), plus a perfect 9-0 record against Quad 1 teams, and it makes perfect sense why Michigan is ranked at the top.
Nonetheless, May won’t be satisfied until he is hoisting the National Championship trophy.
