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NCAA Basketball Power Rankings: Indiana, Marquette quietly rising

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 08: Joey Hauser #22 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 74-69 in overtime at the Fiserv Forum on December 08, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 08: Joey Hauser #22 and Sam Hauser #10 of the Marquette Golden Eagles celebrate after beating the Wisconsin Badgers 74-69 in overtime at the Fiserv Forum on December 08, 2018 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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ANN ARBOR, MI – DECEMBER 8: A general view of the pregame introductions. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI – DECEMBER 8: A general view of the pregame introductions. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /

4. Michigan Wolverines

Last Week: No. 4

Michigan may not have snagged another elite win this week but they handled their business against two fairly strong competitors. For starters, the Wolverines went on the road and hung on to take down Northwestern (62-60) to land their second Big Ten win of the year. Following that close call, Michigan returned to their dominant ways with a double-digit victory over South Carolina in front of a rowdy Crisler Arena crowd.

Quite simply, Michigan’s rise to near the top of these rankings has been incredible. At 10-0, the Wolverines boast the best record in the entire nation and their collection of wins (Villanova, Providence, North Carolina, Purdue) is hard to argue against. And with a fairly easy stretch of games coming up to conclude their non-conference schedule, the Wolverines could easily be the No. 1 team in the nation when 2019 begins.

As per usual, Michigan is one of the most dominant defensive teams in the nation. Through the opening 10 games of the year, the Wolverines are allowing opponents to score just 55.2 points per game (3rd nationally) and they rank tops in the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency. Offensively, Jordan Poole has been red hot lately. After a slow start to the new campaign, the sophomore guard is averaging 18.8 points on 60.7% shooting from deep over his last five games.