It’s largely built on a defense that is 1st in the nation, with a DRtg of 86.7. Again, Arizona is 2nd at 90.5. That is a big gap, too. The offense isn’t too shabby, either, sitting 5th. They’re a very good team.
The results back the numbers. After early season struggles against Wake Forest and TCU, middling teams, let’s take a look at the results.
- 40 point win over SDSU
- 30 point win over Auburn
- 25 point win over Villanova
- 41 point win over McNeese State (I include this because McNeese is 67th in KenPom and will be 12-5 nightmare in March)
- 30 point win over USC
They’re not just winning, they’re eviscerating the competition. Great teams blowout the competition.
Now, there is a lot of basketball left and since Covid, teams have become much more efficient than ever. Duke was actually better at the end of 2025 by a few decimal points and lost in the national semis. Gonzaga and Baylor were at this level in ‘21 at about the same time. Zags maintained but would lose to Baylor in the title game after Baylor saw their numbers dip as they went through the Big XII meat grinder. I think keeping the Baylor comp in mind will be important as Big 18 play ramps up.
UConn of ‘24 is another comp and they largely breezed through the season, with one hiccup in league play. Michigan will find the road much more difficult than the Huskies did, so it is likely they don’t maintain this pace.
Being where they’re at on January 3rd doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme but as of today, Michigan has been the best team in the nation and it isn’t close. How they handle adversity and a grind of a league schedule will determine where they finish but through 2 months, what they’ve done has been quite impressive.
