The first NCAA NET rankings of the season dropped Monday morning, and there’s a new team sitting atop the college basketball mountain: Michigan.
Yes, the Wolverines are officially No. 1 in the NET - the NCAA’s primary tool for evaluating team résumés - and they’re not just leading in one metric. Michigan is also perched at the top of KenPom and Bart Torvik’s rankings, and they currently lead the nation in “wins above bubble,” a stat the NCAA uses to measure the quality of a team’s résumé relative to the tournament cutline.
In short, Michigan isn’t just winning - they’re stacking up a profile that screams March-ready.
Breaking Down Michigan’s Résumé
Let’s talk about why Michigan is sitting pretty at the top. The Wolverines already have three quadrant one wins - the kind that Selection Sunday committees drool over.
They’ve taken down Gonzaga (ranked 5th), Auburn (30th), and TCU (54th). That’s a strong trio of victories, each away from home or on a neutral floor, which only adds more weight to their value.
Wake Forest is sitting at 56th, just outside the quadrant one threshold, but keep an eye on that. If the Demon Deacons climb into the top 50, that win could slide into Q1 territory, further bolstering Michigan’s already elite résumé.
It’s not just about who they’ve beaten - it’s how they’ve done it. Michigan’s blend of efficient offense, disciplined defense, and depth across the rotation has made them one of the most complete teams in the country so far. They’re not just winning games - they’re building a tournament-ready profile in December.
Big Ten Snapshot: A Mixed Bag
Zooming out, the rest of the Big Ten is scattered all over the NET rankings. Purdue comes in strong at No. 3, with Michigan State (10th) and Indiana (11th) also cracking the top 15. Iowa (16th), USC (20th), and Illinois (24th) round out a solid top tier for the conference.
Nebraska sits at 28th, while Northwestern (48th) and Ohio State (63rd) are hanging in quadrant two territory. But from there, things get a little murkier. Wisconsin (69th), Washington (74th), and UCLA (76th) are hovering near the cutline, and Penn State (83rd) is drifting further away from at-large safety.
Then there’s the bottom: Minnesota (144th), Rutgers (186th), Oregon (192nd), and Maryland (200th) are buried deep. For those teams, the road to relevance is going to require a major turnaround - and fast.
What It All Means (For Now)
We’re still more than three months away from Selection Sunday, so it’s early. But these rankings matter.
The NET is updated daily and plays a key role in how the selection committee seeds and selects teams for the NCAA Tournament. Every win - and every loss - shifts the picture.
For Michigan, this is more than just a hot start. It’s a statement.
They’ve built a résumé that’s not only tournament-worthy but potentially worthy of a No. 1 seed. The challenge now?
Sustaining it through the grind of Big Ten play.
And for the rest of the conference, there’s work to do. Purdue, Michigan State, and Indiana look like they’re in solid shape, but the middle of the pack is crowded - and the bottom half has a steep hill to climb.
It’s only December, but the dance card is already starting to take shape. Michigan’s leading the way. Let’s see who can keep up.