There were no surprises at the top of Monday’s Associated Press poll. As was the case the previous two weeks, Michigan was No. 3, behind Gonzaga and Baylor.
In fact, Gonzaga has been No. 1 and Baylor No. 2 the entire season. Not since the Dec. 14 poll has another team received a vote for the top spot.
Michigan’s road win over No. 4 Ohio State on Sunday wasn’t enough to make a difference at the top of the poll. Both Gonzaga (22-0) and Baylor (17-0) are undefeated. Until that changes, 16-1 Michigan isn’t going to jump either. (See entire poll below.)
So how do the Wolverines compare?
Just as in the AP poll, Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan are the top three teams in the NCAA’s daily NET rankings for Monday. All three are projected as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The same teams, in the same order, are atop the rankings at kenpom.com.
That’s the macro view. Looking closer, Gonzaga has impressive neutral-court wins over Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa, and Virginia. The Bulldogs rank second in the country in offense and fourth in defense, per kenpom. Baylor’s notable nonconference game resulted in a 13-point win over Illinois on a neutral floor. The Bears are fourth in offense and sixth in defense.
Michigan (seventh in offense, No. 11 in defense) had a relatively weak nonconference slate. The Wolverines have made up for it in the rugged Big Ten.
See also: Even the referee thought Michigan-Ohio State was exciting
At kenpom, the Big Ten is ranked as the best conference in college basketball. The Big 12, where Baylor resides, is second. The West Coast Conference, of which Gonzaga is a member, is ninth. BYU, which Gonzaga beat twice, is No. 22 in the NET. The next best WCC team is at 73.
The NET sorts games into four quadrants based on the quality of the opponent and location of the game (home, road, or neutral). Michigan’s lone loss, Jan. 16 at Minnesota, currently falls into Quad 1 (the best). Here’s the full breakdown for the three teams in question:
Comparing the victories among Gonzaga, Baylor, and Michigan men’s basketball through Feb. 21, 2021.
Two things stand out. First, Gonzaga and Baylor have played more games than Michigan against relatively weak opponents (Quad 4). That’s not going to change, as Michigan’s remaining regular season schedule includes no games currently designated as Quad 4. In fact, three are currently Quad 1.
The other takeaway from the quad breakdown is that Baylor is lagging in Quad 2. That’s largely due to the program’s current COVID-related pause. The Bears last played on Feb. 2. They’re scheduled to return on Tuesday.
Some national outlets mention Gonzaga and Baylor as the top teams in the country, with Michigan in a tier by itself just below. ESPN’s power rankings on Monday noted just that: “We’ve spent most of the season talking about the gap between Gonzaga, Baylor and the rest of the country,” Jeff Borzello wrote. Michigan’s win over Ohio State, he felt, “did nothing to change that thinking.”
See also: Michigan sought out extra motivation on social media before beating Ohio State
The beauty of college basketball is that this debate will eventually be settled. The NCAA Tournament will welcome any and all contenders.
Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson is aware of the Wolverines’ doubters.
“Coming into the season, some people didn’t have us ranked,” Dickinson said after leading Michigan to victory over the Buckeyes. “Some had us like seventh in the Big Ten. It’s not anything new to us. One way or another they’re going to have to realize who we are and what we’re about.
“We don’t look for anybody’s appreciation. We’re going to go out there and earn it every day in practice and in the games.”
Here is the full AP top-25 poll for Feb. 22:
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Michigan
4. Ohio State
5. Illinois
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. Villanova
9. Iowa
10. West Virginia
11. Florida State
12. Houston
13. Creighton
14. Texas
15. Virginia
16. Virginia Tech
17. Kansas
18. Texas Tech
19. USC
20. Arkansas
21. Loyola Chicago
22. San Diego State
23. Wisconsin
24. Missouri
25. Tennessee
