There are many ways to illustrate how amazing and stunning it is Michigan was this season. Perhaps my favorite thing on this second day of 2026 is to tell you that the Wolverines play Friday night against a Big Ten team that is 12-1 and ranked No. 24 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, with Michigan a 22.5-point favorite in the game!
This is a huge figure for competition between ranked teams. Although one explanation for the large scatter is that USC — with zero wins against teams ranked in the top 45 on KenPom.com And defeat from unranked Washington on the resume – he shouldn't actually be ranked 24th in the AP poll, the truth is that it has more to do with Michigan being 12-0 with nine wins by at least 25 points.
The Wolverines beat Gonzaga by 40 and Auburn by 30. That leaves them 2-0 against teams also in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily college basketball rankings – with those wins coming by an average of 35 points. AND This why the Wolverines are 22.5-point favorites over USC, not to mention a top-25 finish and first place for the 23rd straight day.
If you watch this, the player to watch is Yaksel Lendeborg. He's a Michigan transfer from JSC who averages 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9 forward had 29 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Wolverines' last game against a power conference opponent, a 101-83 win over the Wolverines. Maryland. That performance is one of the reasons he is now fifth in the KenPom Player of the Year standings.
