According to several metrics and statistics, the 2025-2026 Michigan Wolverines just wrapped up one of the greatest regular seasons in college basketball history. However, comparing teams across eras is notoriously tricky. For Michigan specifically, is this the greatest team in program history since 2000?
Given the fact that the Wolverines were nearly flawless in Big Ten play, the amount of comparable teams is obviously slim. The 2013 and 2018 Wolverines immediately come to mind, as they both reached
the National Championship before falling just short. Other contenders include the 2014, 2019 and 2021 squads.
Let’s start with the teams that are in the ballpark but clearly not as good as this year’s team.
The 2014 Wolverines finished the season ranked No. 12 on KenPom with a Net Rating of 23.44. For context, teams with a Net Rating north of 30 are generally considered elite, while being above 40 is generally unheard of; the 2026 Wolverines currently have a 39.37 Net Rating. The 2014 Nik Stauskas-led Wolverines shot the cover off the ball but didn’t play great defense (89th in the country). Any team that loses nine total games can’t be compared to this year’s team.
In 2019, Michigan was upset by Texas Tech in the Sweet Sixteen, but it still found a way to end the season ranked No. 6 on KenPom. Conversely to the 2014 team, these Wolverines played elite defense (No. 2 in the country) but struggled a bit on offense. This was a very good team, but it is also incomparable to this year’s team.
The 2021 team is the best on this list so far. Potentially an Isaiah Livers injury away from a National Championship appearance, Michigan lost in the Elite Eight in a heartbreaker to UCLA. Hunter Dickinson, Franz Wagner and company lost just three regular season games and finished No. 3 in KenPom with a Net Rating of 29.67. Had they won either the Big Ten Tournament or NCAA Tournament, they may be discussed in a different light. For now, I can’t place them in front of the 2026 squad, as a 10-point difference in Net Rating is too big for me to ignore.
Now let’s get to the two biggest contenders to compare to the 2026 team.
The 2018 Michigan team reached the National Championship as a 3-seed with wins over Montana, Houston (thanks, Jordan Poole), Texas A&M, Florida State and Loyola Chicago. Moritz Wagner and Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman stabilized the team late in the year and led them to a Big Ten Tournament championship and their NCAA Tournament run.
However, the 2018 team struggled on offense, sitting at just 35th in the country. Wagner got his on the offensive end, but I have a hard time envisioning a sophomore Jon Teske having any success whatsoever against the ‘26 team’s vaunted front court . The ‘18 team also struggled mightily at the free throw line (66 percent) and wasn’t a great rebounding team. Frankly, the 2026 Wolverines would be a terrible matchup for the 2018 Wolverines.
The 2013 Wolverines have the best argument of the bunch: Player of the Year Trey Burke. This Michigan team lost in the National Championship to Louisville, but we all know the block was clean. Michigan finished the year fourth on KenPom with a Net Rating of 27.86. The Wolverines were elite at protecting, and shooting, the basketball. However, the ‘13 team struggled to defend the paint a bit.
The ‘13 Wolverines had three players make 70 or more three-pointers in Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Stauskas. They also had Mitch McGary and Jordan Morgan provide excellent rebounding.
If the 2013 Wolverines were to face the 2026 Wolverines, there’s no doubt Burke would be the best player on the floor. He would have his way with Elliot Cadeau on the offensive side, while the shooting ability of Hardaway and Stauskas would also pose some problems.
However, the 2013 team had no one taller than 6-foot-10. While McGary, Morgan and Jon Horford were certainly talented, they would have been crushed on the boards and on defense by Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara.
In my opinion, the 2013 team would be capable of beating the 2026 team if they shot the lights out and got Mara in foul trouble early. However, I’d take the 2026 team in a best-of-seven series.
Who do you think is the greatest Michigan team since 2000? Is it the current iteration coached by Dusty May? Is Burke the ultimate trump card that makes the 2013 team the best? Did I underrate the 2018 Wolverines? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
