4 months ago
- Wolverines
- Published: Jan. 05, 2026, 11:18 a.m.
ANN ARBOR — Imagine nan target connected nan Wolverines’ backs if, travel Jan. 30, they rotation into Breslin Center pinch a 20-0 record?
It’s a hypothetical, but not an outlandish one. Michigan is 13-0 and should beryllium a dense favourite successful each of its games earlier nan showdown pinch Michigan State astatine nan extremity of nan month.
Penn State is nan adjacent hurdle (Tuesday, 7:01 p.m. ET, FS1).
Michigan has already won 2 existent roadworthy games (plus 4 others distant from Crisler Center) and owns nan highest mean triumph separator successful assemblage hoops astatine 30.2 points per game.
After visiting Penn State, nan Wolverines big Wisconsin earlier walking westbound to look Washington and Oregon. Games against Indiana, Ohio State and Nebraska follow, each successful Ann Arbor. The analytics tract kenpom.com presently gives Michigan a 90% chance aliases amended successful each of those games. Probability mathematics tells america that moreover pinch those odds, Michigan only has astir a 50% chance of getting to Michigan State undefeated.
The Wolverines’ champion commencement successful programme history came successful 2018-19, erstwhile they won their first 17 games. That squad often won by patient margins but thing for illustration this year’s squad.
Michigan coach Dusty May was asked Monday if he felt it would beryllium adjuvant for his squad to, if not lose, astatine slightest get challenged precocious successful a crippled successful nan adjacent future.
“If that meant that we played really good and nan different squad played exceptionally well, I would unrecorded pinch that,” he said. “But no, I don’t really want to beryllium successful one-possession games because arsenic we saw astatine Minnesota past year, a one-possession crippled could beryllium a half-court heave to lose.
“And arsenic we cognize successful nan Big Ten, 1 crippled tin costs you a title aliases tin nonstop you down a spiral that you person to fig retired a measurement to extremity nan bleeding.”
He wants his squad playing arsenic good arsenic it can. If that leads to 25-, 30- and 40-point blowouts, truthful beryllium it.
“Am I sitting present saying I dream we person a adjacent crippled successful Happy Valley? Absolutely not. We want to play bully shot and spot that nan scoreboard says what we request it to opportunity astatine nan extremity of nan day.”
Indiana was nan past undefeated team, erstwhile it won nan 1976 nationalist title astatine 32-0. UCLA ran nan array 4 times successful nan preceding 12 years. With much parity successful nan sport, not to mention much games, an undefeated champion seems unfathomable.
Some Michigan fans, spoiled by nan occurrence this season, are eager to spot nan Wolverines against nan Big Ten’s elite teams. For what it’s worth, nan schedule lightens again aft nan first Michigan State gathering earlier heating up successful mid-February, erstwhile Michigan visits Purdue, plays Duke successful Washington, D.C. and visits Illinois. The Spartans sojourn to adjacent nan regular play earlier nan Big Ten Tournament and NCAA Tournament successful March.
May understands definite matchups, for illustration Michigan State, bring much hype. He conscionable wants to spot regular betterment and nan expertise to grip each sorts of opponents successful various circumstances. He pointed retired Michigan’s reliable travel to nan Pacific Northwest and nan short turnaround clip upon returning.
“We’ve sewage to commencement looking up astatine what are we going to person to beryllium capable to do to triumph these games successful really, really short mentation time,” May said. “None of america are looking guardant to accelerated forwarding and not appreciating those guys successful our locker room each azygous day. I don’t want to discarded wish distant 1 minute.
“It’s for illustration having kids. I’d dislike to wish distant 1 infinitesimal that you person whenever you cognize there’s a destination for everyone.”
Despite nan dominance, Michigan is not No. 1 successful nan AP Poll. That grant is held by Arizona. May said he’s heard immoderate players talking astir utilizing nan imaginable snub arsenic motivation. That’s not what fuels May. He’s besides not overlooking immoderate 1 opponent
“I’m not reasoning astir going into this crippled undefeated aliases that crippled undefeated aliases (being) No. 1 successful nan canvass aliases 2,” he said. “It’s, ‘How do we prepare? Are we successful nan correct mind abstraction to play really bully shot astatine Penn State tomorrow?’ We each cognize really difficult it’s going to be.”
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Andrew Kahn covers University of Michigan athletics for MLive. His superior thumps are Michigan football, men's hoops and women's basketball. He joined MLive successful 2017 aft antecedently freelancing for The Wall...
