Michigan Wolverines first in the Associated Press Top 25, team reaches number one for the first time since 1992.
The Michigan Wolverines have been one of the most impressive teams in the country this season and now they have proof. Call up the "Fab Five", because Michigan is partying like it's 1992.
According to ESPN.com, the Wolverines are at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since the 1992 season when the Fab Five, including Jalen Rose and Chris Webber, were wandering the halls of the university.
The Wolverines took advantage of a huge loss by Duke last week, which was the second straight time the No. 1 team lost. It happened to Lousiville two weeks ago and now it is Duke, who suffered a blowout against Miami, losing 90-63 to the Hurricanes, the third-worst defeat by a top-ranked team.
The Wolverines were at No. 2 last week and received 51 first-place votes from the 65-member national media panel on Monday. Kansas took advantage of Duke as well and moved up to the No. 2 sport after getting 13 first-place votes. They are the only one-loss teams in the poll. Indiana, Florida, which drew the other first-place vote, and Duke complete the top five.
The Wolverines went to No. 1 for the fourth time from the No. 2 spot after being at the top for 10 weeks in 1964-65, eight weeks in 1976-77 and three weeks at the start of 1992-93, the Fab Five's second season together. According to ESPN.com "That season, Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson made it to the national championship game for the second straight year."
Michigan followed Indiana as the second team from the Big Ten to be at No. 1. The Hoosiers were the preseason pick for the top spot, but fell out after five weeks when Louisville and the Blue Devils made up ground.
Rounding out the top 10 are No. 6 Syracuse, followed by Gonzaga, Arizona, Butler and Oregon. Miami rode its win over Duke to a 13-place jump in the poll, from 25th to 14th. Fourteen ranked teams, including half the top 10, lost at least one game last week. Four teams, including Louisville, which dropped from fifth to 12th, lost twice last week.
San Diego State and Marquette returned to the rankings this week, replacing Virginia Commonwealth, which was 19th, and Notre Dame, which was 24th.
Duke was previously in the top spot, but the Blue Devils were beaten badly by Miami, shooting just 29 percent from the field. The Hurricanes took a quick lead and never let Duke back in it, going up 42-19 at halftime. Duke shot just 4-23 from 3-point range and suffered the sixth-worst defeat since Mike Krzyzewski took over as coach in 1980-81, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
"It wasn't demoralizing; they played better," Blue Devils guard Rasheed Sulaimon said. "I believe we have them on the schedule again."
Top scorers Seth Curry, Tyler Thornton and Quinn Cook went a combined 1 of 29 for Duke, who shot a season-low from the field.
"Especially in the first couple of minutes, we got a lot of great shots," Blue Devils forward Mason Plumlee said. "You're going to miss some, but you have to keep shooting. The biggest mistake you can make is questioning your shot because you're missing open shots."
Michigan has been playing fantastic this season apart from a 56-53 loss on Jan. 13 to Ohio State. Before the loss, the team was undefeated and is now 19-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten to take first place in the conference. The Wolverines have won three straight games against Minnesota, Purdue and Illinois, with games upcoming against Northwestern and No. 3 Indiana. Michigan also has a rematch in a week with No. 11 Ohio State.
"You compete for a Big Ten championship, then you go on you compete for a national championship," head coach John Beilein said. "That's the number one you want down the line."
Trey Burke has been the top player for Michigan averaging a team-high 17.9 points, while Tim Hardaway Jr. is second with 15.9. Another player with some pedigree, Glen Robinson III, is leading in rebounding with 6.0 per game, while Burke is also tops in assists with 7.1. Burke has been excellent over the past five games, scoring in double digits in each contest while putting up at least five assists in each of the past three.
In the game against Illinois, the Wolverines were without top big man Jordan Morgan, who was hurt early in the game and had to go to the locker room.
"Coach (John Beilein) calls him the minister of defense," Burke said to the Associated Press, crediting the Mitch McGary, John Horford and Max Bielfeldt, the three big men who picked up the slack. "I say this every game, but it just starts with defense. I think that started in the first half."
Burke scored 19 to lead Michigan against the Illini while Nick Stauskas scored 14 points and Glenn Robinson III and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 12 each. The Wolverines has a solid lead, but Illinois battled back in the second half before Michigan pulled away on a Burke steal and a dunk
Last season the Wolverines went 13-2 in the Big Ten, tied for first place, and finished with a 24-10 overall record. The team made it to the 2012 NCAA Tournament, but lost 65-60 to Ohio in the first round.
