College basketball rankings: No. 1 Michigan enters as massive favorite for ranked showdown with USC
The Wolverines' dominance amid its undefeated run is not going unnoticed
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
There are a lot of ways to illustrate just how awesome and overwhelming Michigan has been this season. Perhaps my favorite, on this second day of 2026, is to tell you that the Wolverines are playing Friday night against a Big Ten team that's 12-1 and ranked 24th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll -- and Michigan is a 22.5-point favorite in the game!
That's a massive number for a contest between ranked teams. And though one explanation for the big spread is that USC -- with zero wins over teams in the top 45 at KenPom.com and a loss to unranked Washington on the resume -- shouldn't actually be ranked 24th in the AP poll, truth is, this has more to do with Michigan being 12-0 with nine wins by at least 25 points.
The Wolverines beat Gonzaga by 40 and Auburn by 30. So they're 2-0 against teams also in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings -- with those victories coming by an average of 35 points. And that's why the Wolverines are 22.5-point favorites over USC, not to mention No. 1 in the Top 25 And 1 for the 23rd consecutive day.
If you watch this one, the player to watch is Yaxel Lendeborg. He's Michigan's transfer from UAB who is averaging a team-high 15.7 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.3 blocks in 26.8 minutes per game. The 6-foot-9 forward got 29 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, three blocks and two steals in the Wolverines' most-recent game against a power-conference opponent, which resulted in a 101-83 victory over Maryland. That performance is among the reasons he's now fifth in the KenPom Player of the Year standings.
Biggest Movers
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds in Monday's 112-71 win over McNeese. The Wolverines' next game is Friday against USC. | -- | 13-0 |
| 2 |  | Koa Peat finished with 19 points and 14 rebounds in Monday's 99-71 win over South Dakota State. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Utah. | -- | 14-0 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 23 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 89-61 win over Houston Christian. The Cyclones' next game is Friday against West Virginia. | -- | 14-0 |
| 4 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 19 points and two steals in Wednesday's 90-67 win at Xavier. The Huskies' next game is Sunday against Marquette. | -- | 14-1 |
| 5 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 33 points and 10 assists in Monday's 109-81 win over Eastern Washington. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas State. | -- | 13-1 |
| 6 |  | Fletcher Loyer finished with 19 points and two steals in Monday's 101-60 win over Kent State. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday at Wisconsin. | -- | 13-1 |
| 7 |  | Jalen Warley finished with 22 points and five assists in Tuesday's 99-93 win at San Diego. The Zags' next game is Friday against Seattle. | -- | 16-1 |
| 8 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds in Wednesday's 85-79 win over Georgia Tech. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Florida State. | -- | 13-1 |
| 9 |  | Jeremy Fears finished with 21 points and 11 assists in Monday's 114-97 win over Cornell. The Spartans' next game is Friday at Nebraska. | -- | 12-2 |
| 10 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 22 points and six assists in Tuesday's 79-66 win over Florida State. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at SMU. | -- | 13-2 |
| 11 |  | Flory Bidunga finished with 18 points and eight rebounds in Monday's 90-61 win over Davidson. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at UCF. | -- | 10-4 |
| 12 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 15 points and five assists in Monday's 69-60 win over Middle Tennessee. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Cincinnati. | -- | 13-1 |
| 13 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 19 points and two steals in Tuesday's 86-55 win over New Hampshire. The Cornhuskers' next game is Friday against Michigan State. | -- | 14-0 |
| 14 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Monday's 96-53 win over New Haven. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | -- | 14-0 |
| 15 |  | Aden Holloway finished with 26 points and seven assists in Monday's 102-78 win over Yale. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against Kentucky. | -- | 11-3 |
| 16 |  | Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 17 points and six assists in Monday's 103-74 win over James Madison. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 11-3 |
| 17 |  | Jack Davis finished with 15 points and one block in Monday's 90-55 win over Southern. The Illini's next game is Saturday against Penn State. | -- | 11-3 |
| 18 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 87-57 win over Winthrop. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 11-3 |
| 19 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie finished with 21 points and eight assists in Tuesday's 105-54 win over South Carolina State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Arkansas. | -- | 10-4 |
| 20 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 26 points and four assists in Tuesday's 90-70 win at California. The Cardinals' next game is Friday at Stanford. | -- | 11-3 |
| 21 |  | Kam Williams finished with 26 points and one steal in Tuesday's 99-85 win over Bellarmine. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Alabama. | -- | 9-5 |
| 22 |  | Bennett Stirtz finished with 22 points and eight assists in Monday's 90-62 win over UMass Lowell. The Hawkeyes' next game is Saturday against UCLA. | -- | 12-2 |
| 23 |  | Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 22 points and 12 assists in Monday's 90-62 win over Southern Miss. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Texas A&M. | -- | 12-2 |
| 24 |  | Kevin Overton finished with 23 points and four steals in Monday's 106-65 win over Queens University. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Georgia. | -- | 9-5 |
| 25 |  | Zuby Ejiofor finished with 22 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 88-69 win at Georgetown. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Providence. | -- | 9-5 |
| 26 |  | Alex Condon finished with 17 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 94-72 win over Dartmouth. The Gators' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | -- | 9-5 |
