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?
