In this unusual season played in the middle of a global pandemic that has already killed more than 531,000 Americans, college basketball coaches have been worried every day about positive COVID-19 tests that could pause, or even end, their seasons. But that doesn't mean the normal concerns don't still exist — concerns like those connected to possibly losing a key player to a traditional injury in advance of the NCAA Tournament.
It happened to Villanova earlier this month.
Now it's happened to Michigan.
Friday night speculation was confirmed Saturday morning when Michigan coach Juwan Howard announced that Isaiah Livers will be sidelined indefinitely after an MRI revealed a stress injury to his right foot. It's obviously devastating news — for both Livers and the Wolverines. As proof, consider that Michigan is 33-9 in the past two seasons when Livers is healthy and playing, just 6-6 when he isn't. So it'll be interesting to see how the Wolverines fare without him against Ohio State in Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinals, and then how the NCAA Tournament selection committee handles them when it comes to seeding them for the bracket.
Livers is second on the team in scoring (13.1 points per game) and third on the team in rebounding (6.0 boards per game). He leads the Wolverines in minutes played. So, again, this is a big, big loss for Michigan, which remains No. 4 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. It's the kind of loss that could cost the Wolverines Saturday against Ohio State, then again on Selection Sunday, then again next week once the NCAA Tournament gets underway.
Start a bracket pool to compete against friends or fill out your bracket for a chance to win a brand new Nissan Rogue and a college basketball dream trip. Get in the action today!
Saturday's Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Gonzaga's perfect record includes double-digit victories over Iowa, Kansas, Virginia and BYU. The Zags are just the 20th team in history to enter the NCAA Tournament undefeated. | -- | 27-8 |
| 2 |  | Illinois is 16-6 inside the first two quadrants with wins over Michigan, Iowa and Ohio State. The Illini are 12-1 in their past 13 games. | 1 | 29-9 |
| 3 |  | Baylor dropped to 10-2 inside the first two quadrants after Friday's loss to Oklahoma State. The Bears are 5-2 since coming off of a 21-day COVID-19 pause. | 1 | 24-11 |
| 4 |  | Michigan is 15-3 in the first two quadrants with wins over Iowa, Ohio State and Purdue. The Wolverines will play Ohio State for a second time in Saturday's Big Ten Tournament semifinals. | -- | 8-24 |
| 5 |  | Alabama is 15-5 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Crimson Tide will take a four-game winning streak into Saturday's game against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament semifinals. | -- | 25-12 |
| 6 |  | Iowa is 14-7 in the first two quadrants with wins over Ohio State and Purdue. The Hawkeyes are 8-1 in their past nine games with the lone loss in that stretch coming at Michigan. | -- | 19-15 |
| 7 |  | Arkansas is 11-5 in the first two quadrants with wins over Alabama and Missouri. The Razorbacks are 12-1 in their past 13 games. | -- | 16-17 |
| 8 |  | Ohio State is 14-8 in the first two quadrants with wins over Illinois, Iowa and Purdue. The Buckeyes will take a two-game winning streak into Saturday's game against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. | -- | 22-14 |
| 9 |  | Houston is 7-2 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cougars are 7-1 in their past eight games heading into Saturday's rematch with Memphis in the AAC Tournament semifinals. | -- | 32-5 |
| 10 |  | Oklahoma State is 12-5 in the first two quadrants with two additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Cowboys are 8-1 in their past nine games with wins over Baylor and West Virginia. | -- | 12-20 |
| 11 |  | Kansas is 9-8 in the first two quadrants with all eight losses coming in Quadrant 1. The Jayhawks are the only team that's beaten Baylor. | -- | 23-11 |
| 12 |  | West Virginia dropped to 10-9 in the first two quadrants after Thursday's loss to Oklahoma State. The Mountaineers are 4-4 in their past eight games. | -- | 9-23 |
| 13 |  | Florida State is 10-4 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Seminoles will play Georgia Tech in Saturday's ACC Tournament title game. | -- | 17-16 |
| 14 |  | Texas is 9-7 in the first two quadrants with victories over Kansas, West Virginia and Texas Tech. Only one of the Longhorns' losses falls outside of the first quadrant. | -- | 21-13 |
| 15 |  | Loyola Chicago is 6-4 in the first two quadrants with wins over Drake and North Texas. The Ramblers are 16-1 in their past 17 games and MVC champions for the third time in the past four seasons. | -- | 23-10 |
| 16 |  | Virginia is 9-5 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Cavaliers were removed from the ACC Tournament early Friday because of COVID-19 issues within the program. | -- | 23-11 |
| 17 |  | Creighton is 12-4 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Bluejays will play Georgetown in Saturday's Big East Tournament title game. | 3 | 25-10 |
| 18 |  | Purdue is 14-8 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Boilermakers are 5-1 in their past six games with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Ohio State. | -- | 34-5 |
| 19 |  | Villanova dropped to 8-6 in the first two quadrants after Thursday's loss to Georgetown. The Wildcats are 0-2 since losing Collin Gillespie to a knee injury. | -- | 18-16 |
| 20 |  | Colorado is 10-4 in the first two quadrants with three additional losses falling in Quadrant 3. The Buffaloes will play Oregon State in Saturday's Pac-12 Tournament title game. | NR | 26-11 |
| 21 |  | BYU is 8-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over San Diego State and Utah State. The Cougars are 7-2 in their past nine games with the only losses in that stretch coming to Gonzaga. | -- | 23-11 |
| 22 |  | UConn is 6-6 in the first two quadrants with wins over USC and Seton Hall. The Huskies are 11-2 with James Bouknight in the lineup. | -- | 37-3 |
| 23 |  | USC dropped to 9-7 in the first two quadrants after Friday's loss to Colorado. The Trojans are 4-4 in their past eight games. | 6 | 15-18 |
| 24 |  | St. Bonaventure is 5-3 in the first two quadrants with one additional loss falling in Quadrant 3. The Bonnies are outright Atlantic 10 champions for the first time in school history. | -- | 20-13 |
| 25 |  | Missouri is 9-9 in the first two quadrants with wins over Illinois, Alabama and Arkansas. The Tigers were eliminated from the SEC Tournament by Arkansas on Friday. | -- | 8-24 |
| 26 |  | Texas Tech is 5-10 in the first two quadrants with wins over Texas and Oklahoma. All 10 of the Red Raiders' losses are to teams ranked ahead of them in the Top 25 And 1. | -- | 23-11 |
