NCAA Basketball: 8 takeaways from first month of 2018-19
By Brian Rauf
2) Michigan is a top-five team
The Wolverines seem to make a major statement in every game they play in and AP voters should hear them – Michigan is absolutely a top-five team in the country this year.
They have as many big wins as anyone, knocking off Villanova, North Carolina, and Purdue by a combined total of 63 points. They have the nation’s most efficient defense and an attacking offense that doesn’t turn the ball over.
We know Duke is one of the top teams in the country and we know Gonzaga is up there, too. Outside of those two teams, however, it’s tough to argue that anyone is better than Michigan given the dominant performances they’ve put on game after game.
Freshman forward Ignas Brazdeikis has stepped in and given the Wolverines a top-tier scorer, essentially replacing the production they lost when Moe Wagner left. He and Charles Matthews are a one-two punch that can hang with any in the country, while Jordan Poole stretches the court and Zavier Simpson runs the show.
I’d argue that the Wolverines should really jump into the top three but they’ve absolutely proven they belong in the top five.