College basketball rankings: Margin between undefeated Michigan and Arizona for No. 1 is razor-thin
There is very little separating the Wolverines and the Wildcats in the Top 25 And 1
By
Gary Parrish
•
1 min read
Michigan and Arizona both did it again Saturday night -- and by again I mean absolutely dismantled the opposing power-conference basketball team placed in front of them. Michigan beat Maryland 101-83. Arizona beat Alabama 96-75. So the Wolverines and Wildcats remain undefeated and also first and second, in that order, in Sunday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Yes, I have Michigan No. 1 and Arizona No. 2.
That's opposite of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, I know. And if you believe it should be the other way around -- i.e., if you believe Arizona should be No. 1 and Michigan should be No. 2 -- hey, I hear you. You'll get no real argument from me. Tommy Lloyd's Wildcats now own five victories over schools in the top 35 at KenPom.com, and no other team can match that body of work through the first seven weeks of this season.
Arizona at No. 1 is easy to defend.
Brayden Burries' eruption in romp over No. 12 Alabama gives No. 1 Arizona a splash of championship hot sauce
Isaac Trotter
But so is Michigan -- in part because the Wolverines have 40-point wins over Gonzaga and San Diego State, a 30-point win over Auburn, and a 28-point win over Villanova. Michigan is currently No. 1 at BartTorvik.com, EvanMiya.com, FaktorSports.com and KenPom.com, the last of which has assigned a net rating of +37.55 to the Wolverines. For whatever it's worth, that is more than a point better than the net rating Florida finished with last season after going 36-4 and winning the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
What I'm about to tell you is also true: If Michigan and Arizona met on a neutral court today, the Wolverines would be favorites in the game. Moreover, Michigan is now the clear favorite to win the 2026 NCAA Tournament at +450, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Arizona and Duke are next at +1000. Then it's Iowa State and UConn at +1100, meaning the top five of the Top 25 And 1 lines up perfectly with where the betting markets have things on this Sunday morning.
Who would win if Michigan and Arizona actually played?
Who knows?
Honestly, any game between the two would probably come down to 3-point shooting or foul trouble or something like that. They're both excellent and probably capable of beating each other. The real question is whether anybody else will beat either one of them. And, if so, when? And how?
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Biggest Movers
3
Nebraska
7
Alabama
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Yaxel Lendeborg finished with 29 points and nine assists in Saturday's 101-83 win at Maryland. The Wolverines' next game is Dec. 21 against La Salle. | -- | 10-0 |
| 2 |  | Brayden Burries finished with 28 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 96-75 win over Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Abilene Christian. | -- | 9-0 |
| 3 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 18 points and 15 rebounds in Saturday's 66-60 win at Michigan State. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Lipscomb. | -- | 10-0 |
| 4 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 24 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 66-62 win over Iowa. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday against Eastern Illinois. | -- | 11-0 |
| 5 |  | Alex Karaban finished with 18 points and four rebounds in Friday's 71-63 win over Texas. The Huskies' next game is Tuesday against Butler. | -- | 10-1 |
| 6 |  | AJ Dybantsa finished with 26 points and eight rebounds in Saturday's 100-53 win over UC Riverside. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Pacific. | -- | 9-1 |
| 7 |  | Oscar Cluff finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 79-59 win over Marquette. The Boilermakers' next game is Saturday against Auburn. | -- | 10-1 |
| 8 |  | Graham Ike finished with 25 points and five assists in Saturday's 82-72 win over UCLA. The Zags' next game is Wednesday against Campbell. | -- | 10-1 |
| 9 |  | Divine Ugochukwu finished with 23 points and three steals in Saturday's 76-72 win at Penn State. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Toledo. | -- | 9-1 |
| 10 |  | Caleb Wilson finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 80-62 win over South Carolina Upstate. The Tar Heels' next game is Tuesday against East Tennessee State. | 1 | 9-1 |
| 11 |  | Trevon Brazile finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 93-86 win over Texas Tech. The Razorbacks' next game is Tuesday against Queens. | 1 | 8-2 |
| 12 |  | Ryan Conwell finished with 17 points and two assists in Saturday's 99-73 win over Memphis. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday at Tennessee. | 1 | 9-1 |
| 13 |  | Melvin Council Jr. finished with 36 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 77-76 overtime win at NC State. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Towson. | 1 | 8-3 |
| 14 |  | Kingston Flemings finished with 15 points and three steals in Saturday's 99-57 win over New Orleans. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | 1 | 10-1 |
| 15 |  | Pryce Sandfort finished with 32 points and three assists in Saturday's 83-80 win at Illinois. The Cornhuskers' next game is Dec. 21 against North Dakota. | 3 | 11-0 |
| 16 |  | Tyler Nickel finished with 30 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 83-72 win over Central Arkansas. The Commodores' next game is Wednesday at Memphis. | 3 | 10-0 |
| 17 |  | Labaron Philon Jr. missed nine of the 16 shots he attempted in Saturday's 96-75 loss to Arizona. The Crimson Tide's next game is Wednesday against USF. | 7 | 7-3 |
| 18 |  | Tomislav Ivisic missed two of the three shots he attempted in Saturday's 83-80 loss to Nebraska. The Illini's next game is Dec. 22 against Missouri. | 2 | 8-3 |
| 19 |  | Keyshawn Hall finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 92-78 win over Chattanooga. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Purdue. | 2 | 8-3 |
| 20 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 14 of the 20 shots he attempted in Saturday's 75-62 loss to Illinois. The Vols' next game is Tuesday against Louisville. | -- | 7-3 |
| 21 |  | Oziyah Sellers finished with 19 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 91-64 win over Iona. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday against DePaul. | 1 | 6-3 |
| 22 |  | LeJuan Watts missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Saturday's 93-86 loss to Arkansas. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Northern Colorado. | 5 | 7-3 |
| 23 |  | Bennett Stirtz missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted on Thursday's 66-62 loss at Iowa State. The Hawkeyes' next game is Sunday against Western Michigan. | -- | 8-2 |
| 24 |  | Sam Lewis finished with 15 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 84-60 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday against Maryland. | -- | 9-1 |
| 25 |  | Joshua Dent finished with 21 points and five assists in Sunday's 70-61 win over Davidson. The Gaels' next game is Sunday against Boise State. | -- | 9-1 |
| 26 |  | Mouhamed Dioubate finished with 14 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 72-60 win over Indiana. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against St. John's. | NR | 7-4 |
