There were no surprises at the top of the Associated Press poll on Monday. As was the case in the previous two weeks, Michigan was in third place, behind Gonzaga and Baylor.
In fact, Gonzaga was No. 1 and Baylor No. 2 throughout the season. Since the December 14 poll, another team has not received a vote for first place.
Michigan’s victory over Ohio’s fourth place on Sunday was not enough to make a difference at the top of the poll. Gonzaga (22-0) and Baylor (17-0) are undefeated. Until that changes, 16-1 Michigan will also not skip. (See the entire poll below.)
So, how do Wolverines compare?
As in the AP survey, Gonzaga, Baylor and Michigan are the top three teams in the NCAA NET daily ranking for Monday. All three are designed as No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The same teams, in the same order, are at the top of the ranking at kenpom.com.
This is the macro view. Looking more closely, Gonzaga has impressive victories in neutral courts over Kansas, West Virginia, Iowa and Virginia. Bulldogs occupy the country’s second place in attack and fourth in defense, by kenpom. Baylor’s remarkable non-conference game resulted in a 13-point win over Illinois on neutral ground. The Bears are fourth in attack and sixth in defense.
Michigan (seventh in attack, No. 11 in defense) had a relatively weak non-conference list. The Wolverines made up for that in the rugged Big Ten.
See too: Even the referee found the state of Michigan-Ohio exciting
In kenpom, the Big Ten is classified as the best college basketball conference. Big 12, where Baylor resides, is the second. The West Coast Conference, of which Gonzaga is a member, is the ninth. BYU, which Gonzaga won twice, is in 22nd place on NET. The next best WCC team is at 73.
NET classifies games into four quadrants based on the quality of the opponent and the game’s location (home, road or neutral). Michigan’s only defeat on January 16 in Minnesota currently falls on Quad 1 (the best). Here is the complete analysis for the three teams in question:
Comparing the victories between Gonzaga, Baylor and Michigan men’s basketball until February 21, 2021.
Two things stand out. First, Gonzaga and Baylor played more games than Michigan against relatively weak opponents (Quad 4). That will not change, as Michigan’s remaining regular season schedule does not include games currently designated as Quad 4. In fact, three are currently Quad 1.
The other conclusion of the quad’s collapse is that Baylor is late at Quad 2. This is largely due to the current COVID-related program break. Bears last played on February 2. They’ll be back on Tuesday.
Some national vehicles mention Gonzaga and Baylor as the best teams in the country, with Michigan in a category just below. ESPN’s power ranking on Monday noted just that: “We spent most of the season talking about the difference between Gonzaga, Baylor and the rest of the country,” wrote Jeff Borzello. Michigan’s victory over Ohio, he felt, “did nothing to change that thinking.”
See too: Michigan sought extra motivation on social media before beating Ohio
The beauty of college basketball is that this debate will be resolved. The NCAA Tournament will welcome any and all contestants.
Michigan freshman center Hunter Dickinson is aware of Wolverine skeptics.
“Some people didn’t qualify for the season,” said Dickinson after leading Michigan to victory over the Buckeyes. “Some put us in seventh place on the Big Ten. It is nothing new for us. One way or another, they will have to realize who we are and what we do.
“We don’t expect anyone’s appreciation. We will go out and deserve it every day in training and games ”.
Here is the full AP 25 poll of February 22:
1. Gonzaga
2. Baylor
3. Michigan
4. State of Ohio
5. Illinois
6. Alabama
7. Oklahoma
8. Villanova
9. Iowa
10. West Virginia
11. State of Florida
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