Michigan basketball goes from eight wins in 2024 to top 10 in final AP poll of 2025
Michigan Wolverines basketball went from eight wins in 2023-24, prompting the firing of head coach Juwan Howard, to a top-10 postseason ranking in the Associated Press poll in year one under new head man Dusty May.
The Associated Press released its final college basketball top 25 Tuesday, one day after Florida cut down the nets with a national championship game win over Houston. The Associated Press only started releasing a postseason top 25 following the 2024 season.
Michigan checked in No. 10 — behind No. 1 Florida, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Duke, No. 4 Auburn, No. 5 Tennessee, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Michigan State, No. 8 Texas Tech and No. 9 Maryland. That made the Maize and Blue the second-highest ranked team to see their season come to an end in the Sweet 16.
Michigan posted a 27-10 overall record, finished tied second in the Big Ten at 14-6, won the conference tournament championship for the fourth time in history and advanced to the Sweet 16, where it lost to Auburn, 78-65, in Atlanta.
The last time Michigan was ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll was in the preseason release ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. The Wolverines ended that year unranked, but made a run to the Sweet 16 under Howard.
Michigan slotted No. 14 after winning the Big Ten title and moved up four spots after a Sweet 16 run that included victories over UC San Diego and Texas A&M. The Wolverines were a No. 5 seed in the Big Dance.
Michigan State (No. 7), Maryland (No. 9), Michigan (No. 10), Purdue (No. 14) and Wisconsin (No. 16) make up the five Big Ten teams to earn top-25 spots.
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In an appearance on the Zach Gelb Show this week, May agreed that Michigan had a successful 2024-25 campaign, with momentum toward the future.
“Yeah, we obviously laid a really strong foundation with everything that we do,” May said. “We’re gonna continue to improve. As we get through this portal period, we’ll sit down as a staff and do another autopsy on our season, and figure out what we’re gonna keep and what we’re gonna get rid of.
“But without a doubt, just representing Michigan has so much to sell on its own, without us. And then you add in the quality staff and players we have in our program, and we’re committed to doing it together, I think we have a lot to sell, and ultimately that’s what you want out of year one is momentum moving forward.”
Michigan is already popping up as a top-25 team in “way too-early” rankings ahead of the 2025-26 campaign, with ESPN slotting the Wolverines No. 5, though it’s early in the offseason and rosters are nowhere near final.
Final college basketball Associated Press poll: Michigan ranks No. 10
1. Florida (36-4)
2. Houston (35-5)
3. Duke (35-4)
4. Auburn (32-6)
5. Tennessee (30-8)
6. Alabama (28-9)
7. Michigan State (30-7)
8. Texas Tech (28-9)
9. Maryland (27-9)
10. Michigan (27-10)
11. St. John’s (31-5)
12. Kentucky (24-12)
13. BYU (26-10)
14. Purdue (24-12)
15. Arizona (24-13)
16. Wisconsin (27-10)
17. Iowa State (25-10)
18. Ole Miss (24-12)
19. Texas A&M (23-11)
20. Arkansas (22-14)
21. Louisville (27-8)
22. Clemson (27-7)
23. Gonzaga (26-9)
24. Saint Mary’s (29-6)
25. Memphis (29-6)
