There are plenty of ways to illustrate how great and overwhelming Michigan has been this season. Perhaps my favorite, on this second day of 2026, is to tell you that the Wolverines play Friday night against a Big Ten team that is 12-1 and ranked 24th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll – and Michigan is a 22.5-point favorite in the game!
This is a huge number for a competition between ranked teams. And while one explanation for this significant gap is that USC – with zero wins against top 45 teams on KenPom.com And a loss to unranked Washington on the resume – shouldn’t actually be ranked 24th in the AP poll, the truth is it has more to do with Michigan being 12-0 with nine wins by at least 25 points.
The Wolverines beat Gonzaga by 40 and Auburn by 30. So they’re 2-0 against teams also in the daily CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings updated Friday morning — with those wins averaging 35 points. And It is why the Wolverines are 22.5 point favorites against USC, not to mention No. 1 in the Top 25 and 1st for the 23rd consecutive day.
If you watch this one, the player to watch is Yaxel Lendeborg. He is the Michigan transfer from UAB who is averaging 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9 forward had 29 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Wolverines’ last game against a power conference opponent, which resulted in a 101-83 victory over Maryland. This performance is one of the reasons why he is now fifth in the KenPom Player of the Year rankings.
