I was just looking at some college basketball stuff on ESPN and this caught my eye from yesterday. Not one of these dinks bothered to even mention the Gophers:
Michigan is 11-0 and just annihilating opponents. Are you ready to say the Wolverines are going to win the Big Ten? Fill in this blank: Iowa and ____ are UM's biggest two B1G threats.
Myron Medcalf, senior college basketball writer: Yes, I am ready to say that Michigan will win the national title ... sorry, I mean, Big Ten title. I just think we're watching one of the most balanced Big Ten teams in a long time. The Wolverines have the nation's best defense inside the arc, per KenPom. They have legit NBA prospects in
Hunter Dickinson,
Franz Wagner and
Isaiah Livers. They have one single-digit win during this run. They're the most dominant team in the country, east of Waco, Texas. They're a threat to win the league and make a serious run at the national championship in Indianapolis, too.
I'll go with Iowa and Illinois in the Big Ten. I think any opponent with a real shot at Michigan will have to possess the shooting ability to spread the floor and Illinois has connected on 41.2% of its 3-pointers thus far. But there is another reason to pick Illinois: Brad Underwood's team plays Michigan and Iowa only once this season. The Jan. 29 home game against the Hawkeyes and the Feb. 11 road matchup against the Wolverines could change the Illini's status in the Big Ten title race.
Jeff Borzello, college basketball insider: Michigan's win over Wisconsin was one of the best single-game performances we've seen all season. I mean, a 36-3 run? Against a top-10 team? Are you kidding me? Juwan Howard is the favorite alongside Shaka Smart for National Coach of the Year honors, and the Wolverines have barely broken a sweat en route to their 11-0 record. They're old, they're versatile and they have one of the most unique and difficult matchups in the country in Dickinson. Recency bias is undoubtedly a factor, but I would peg Michigan as the Big Ten favorite, just ahead of Iowa. The Hawkeyes aren't going anywhere, and they're starting to show signs of life on the defensive end.
Wisconsin would be the easy answer for the next-biggest threat, simply due to the Badgers' experience and number of players who can make shots. But I want to believe in Illinois as a title contender. The Fighting Illini have a truly elite inside-outside duo in
Ayo Dosunmu and
Kofi Cockburn, and while it does feel like something is missing, there's a lot of talent on this roster and eventually they'll start winning some of these close games.
John Gasaway, college basketball writer: I am in full agreement with my esteemed colleagues: Michigan is going to win the Big Ten. Dickinson has been a revelation, Wagner is a matchup nightmare in his own right and the Wolverines have been far and away the best defensive team in the league to this point in the season. Put it this way, the Big Ten as a whole is making 50% of its 2s in conference play. Against Howard's men, on the other hand, that number drops to under 38%. It's been a magnificent performance.
In this same spirit of echoing my astute colleagues, UM's two main threats really are Iowa and Illinois. The Illini would be more of a threat if not for that "2" in the loss column in conference play, but, on paper, Brad Underwood's guys have achieved near-Michigan results on offense while laying claim to the prestigious title of "second-best defense in the league." The Hawkeyes, of course, have the Big Ten's best offense and a certain (likely) Wooden Award winner. Should be a fun title chase.
Joe Lunardi, ESPN bracketologist: The truth is that not even the Michigan coaching staff realized what it had in Hunter Dickinson. COVID-19 knocked him out of action in the fall and he wasn't even a starter when the season began. These are the vagaries of a most unpredictable season. Having said that, Michigan is the best and most balanced team among a powerful Big Ten ruling class. The biggest challengers appear to be Illinois and Iowa, whom the Wolverines do not face until Feb. 11 and March 4, respectively.
