Big Ten Basketball power rankings: Michigan State, Wisconsin takes big jumps

8. Michigan (6-4, 1-1)

The expectations for Michigan were pretty huge before the season began, ranked in the top 10 in many early polls and projections. After winning the Big Ten last season, the Wolverines brought back Hunter Dickinson, Eli Brooks, and put together an elite recruiting class that included Caleb Houstan, who is averaging double-digits early in his collegiate career. Unfortunately, things have not gone according to plan for the Wolverines through ten games.

The best win Michigan has picked up is a home win over San Diego State just about two weeks ago. They simply have not taken care of business against good opponents. The Wolverines lost at home to Seton Hall early on and have now dropped double-digit affairs to Arizona, North Carolina, and Minnesota in recent weeks. The home loss to the Golden Gophers was their most recent outing and in particular, stands out. It’s the kind of game Michigan could not afford to lose if they want to defend their Big Ten title.

A fruitful and talented roster has underperformed early on, but not all hope is lost for Juwan Howard’s program. When the shooting goes cold, the Wolverine really struggle, as has been the case in their four losses. The defense doesn’t really force turnovers but has been enough of a force in their wins this season, though it didn’t help them fall out of games against Arizona and North Carolina. There’s certainly reason to expect Michigan to bounce back, but this team is expecting too much from their shooters and Houstan cannot carry the load during these early struggles.