Michigan basketball back up to No. 1 in NET rankings

Wolverines improved to 11-0 with win over Western Michigan

Zavier Simpson drives to the basket in front of Jared Printy of Western Michigan at the Crisler Center on Dec. 15, 2018, in Ann Arbor. (Dave Reginek/Getty Images)

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – For the second Monday in a row, Michigan basketball is on top of the new NET rankings, which will be used to determine seeding in the NCAA Tournament.

Michigan jumped to No. 1 for the first time last Monday before dropping briefly as low as No. 3 behind Virginia and Duke. Through Sunday's games, the Wolverines are back on top.

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Michigan has only played once in the last week, a Saturday victory over Western Michigan. John Beilein's team wasn't sharp in the win, needing a 10-0 run to take a two-point lead into halftime and winning by just eight points as a 24 1/2-point favorite.

But Michigan stayed unbeaten, improving to 11-0 on the season. It has won nine games by double digits with the exception of Saturday's game and a two-point win at Northwestern.

The other eight undefeated teams in college basketball are also ranked among the top 30 in the NET rankings: No. 2 Virginia, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 5 Kansas, No. 7 Nevada, No. 10 Houston, No. 12 Buffalo, No. 26 Furman and No. 27 St. John's.

Michigan's resume got a big boost from North Carolina, which knocked off then-No. 4 Gonzaga to jump to No. 11 in the NET rankings.

Michigan's other top opponents: No. 28 Villanova, No. 37 Purdue and No. 45 Northwestern.

Here are the full Big Ten ranks:

1. Michigan
8. Wisconsin
9. Michigan State
13. Nebraska
21. Indiana
24. Ohio State
37. Purdue
38. Iowa
42. Maryland
45. Northwestern
55. Minnesota
85. Penn State
109. Illinois
119. Rutgers

Click here to view the full NET rankings.


About the Author

Derick is the Lead Digital Editor for ClickOnDetroit and has been with Local 4 News since April 2013. Derick specializes in breaking news, crime and local sports.