There's a new No. 1 team in the nation.
Michigan basketball (24-1, 14-1 Big Ten) moved up one spot, to No. 1, in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll on Monday, Feb. 16; the Wolverines were last atop the poll in its Jan. 5 iteration − five days before the Wolverines lost to Wisconsin in Ann Arbor, their only defeat this season.
Michigan has won 10 consecutive games since, nine by double figures. The Wolverines are coming off another sweep last week, knocking off Northwestern on the road and crushing UCLA at home; with previous No. 1 Arizona losing twice last week, U-M has now taken over the top spot with less than four weeks to play before the reveal of the 2026 March Madness bracket.
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Michigan has been ranked No. 1 for 38 games in its 108-year history.
This is the latest in a season Michigan has been ranked No. 1 since it was No. 1 in the Associated Press poll on March 7, 1977 in the final poll before the NCAA tournament. Soon after, the Wolverines were upset by Charlotte in the NCAA's second round.
Prior to that, Michigan hadn't been ranked No. 1 in February or later since 1965. That was the year consensus All-American Cazzie Russell led the Wolverines to the national championship game, which U-M lost to UCLA after holding onto the nation's top spot for more than three months.
Michigan State, which has lost three of its past four games, dropped to No. 15 in this week's coaches poll, down from No. 10 last week.
This season, Michigan has dominated on both sides of the ball. The Wolverines are No. 1 in defensive efficiency (88 points per 100 possessions) and average 2-point distance (7.1 feet), No. 2 in 2-point defense (42.8%) and effective field goal defense (43.2), No. 4 in block rate (18.7%) and No. 7 in 3-point defense (29.1%).
Offensively, the Wolverines are No. 2 in 2-point shooting (63%), No. 4 in efficiency (126.6), No. 7 in effective field goal percentage (58.9%), No. 7 in average possession length (15 seconds) and No. 24 in offensive rebounding rate (36.6%).
Michigan can't rest on its statistical excellence, however, with a tough slate this week: The Wolverines hit the road for a matchup with No. 7 Purdue on Tuesday (6:30 p.m., Peacock) before a neutral-court meeting with No. 3 Duke at Capital One Arena in Washington on Saturday (6:30 p.m., ESPN).
"It feels really good, but as you said, we have tough games now coming up," center Aday Mara said last week. "We got to focus on, on that, on our scout, on practicing, getting better. … Our goal is not being No. 1 in the country – our goal is to win everything."
Tony Garcia is the Wolverines beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Back on top: Michigan basketball is again the No. 1 team in the nation