For more than two months, Arizona has maintained the top position in the AP Top 25 poll, being the unanimous leader for the past four weeks. This came after Michigan suffered its only loss of the season to Wisconsin last month.

Since that defeat, No. 2 Michigan has achieved ten straight victories, including a significant 86-56 triumph over UCLA on Saturday. They now hold an 18-1 record against Quad 1/2 opponents, the best in Division I basketball. Most impressively, twelve of Michigan’s fourteen wins in Big Ten action have come by a margin of at least 10 points, with six victories exceeding those by 20 points.

Through their successful run, the Wolverines have encountered some close calls, such as overcoming a 16-point deficit against Northwestern earlier this week to secure a 12-point win. Their narrowest victory this season occurred when Penn State nearly upset them, managing to miss a buzzer-beater 3-pointer

Michigan
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In their first AP poll of the new year, Michigan and Arizona were essentially tied. The slim point difference has potential ramifications for the top spot. As next week approaches, the poll results will largely depend on how Arizona fares against No. 16 Texas Tech later in the day.

What must Michigan do to secure the No. 1 overall seed?

With Arizona’s recent loss to Kansas, the field has opened for Michigan to consider being the top-ranked seed as Selection Sunday approaches in less than a month. Michigan’s upcoming schedule poses challenges, especially when facing ranked opponents in the conference tournament. They are set to contend against No. 8 Illinois later this month, and five of their remaining games will be against Quad 1 rivals.

Heading into the weekend, Michigan is 2.5 games ahead in the Big Ten standings, surpassing Illinois and further ahead of other contenders including Nebraska and Purdue, both lagging three games behind. Their upcoming meeting with Purdue could further solidify their lead.

Alongside Michigan, Duke will provide a high-stakes matchup next weekend that could see two top teams face-off, intensifying the tournament race.