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CBS Sports Graphic

The picture snapped pregame of Michigan coach Dusty May sitting in front of Michigan State's student section should be framed forever. What followed was another Quadrant 1 victory for the Wolverines -- this one on the road against a rival -- that solidified them as the favorites in a loaded and deep Big Ten.

Final score: Michigan 83, Michigan State 81.

Yaxel Lendeborg, the UAB transfer who is perhaps now the favorite to be the Big Ten's Player of the Year, got 26 points and 12 rebounds in front of a capacity crowd at the Breslin Center. Elliot Cadeau, the North Carolina transfer, added 17 points and six assists. Morez Johnson Jr., the Illinois transfer, finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Trey McKenney, the 6-foot-4 freshman, got 10 points. Add it up, and  Michigan's four double-digit scorers in this 40-minute contest are all first-year players in the program, a fact that serves as evidence that great teams can be built in one offseason provided the staff doing the building is competent and properly supported by its administration and boosters/collectives.

"I just let them get all their frustration and their animosity out early, and then that way they can enjoy the game" May joked/explained when asked about sitting in front of the students during warmups. "So, I felt like I contributed to the environment just a little bit."

Michigan is No. 4 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Arizona remains No. 1 for the 21st consecutive day. Next up for the Wolverines is Thursday's game against Penn State. After that, they'll play back-to-back road games at Ohio State (Feb. 9) and at Northwestern (Feb. 11).

Top 25 And 1 rankings

Biggest Movers
1 Iowa State
3 Michigan St.
Rk
Teams
  
Chg
Rcrd
1 Arizona Brayden Burries finished with 29 points and five rebounds in Monday's 86-83 win at BYU. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. -- 21-0
2 UConn Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 19 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-81 win over Providence. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Creighton. -- 20-1
3 Duke Cameron Boozer finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Monday's 83-52 win over Louisville. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. -- 20-1
4 Michigan Yaxel Lendeborg finished 26 points and 12 rebounds in Friday's 83-71 win at Michigan State. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday against Penn State. -- 20-1
5 Nebraska Pryce Sandfort missed 12 of the 18 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 75-72 loss at Michigan. The Cornhuskers' next game is Sunday against Illinois. -- 20-1
6 Gonzaga Jalen Warley finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 68-66 win over San Francisco. The Zags' next game is Saturday against Saint Mary's. -- 21-1
7 Iowa St. Milan Momcilovic finished with 16 points and one assist in Thursday's 97-67 win over Colorado. The Cyclones' next game is Sunday at Kansas State. 1 19-2
8 Illinois Keaton Wagler finished with 22 points and eight assists in Thursday's 75-66 win over Washington. The Illini's next game is Sunday at Nebraska. 1 18-3
9 Houston Kingston Flemings finished with 27 points and five assists in Wednesday's 79-70 win at TCU. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Cincinnati. 1 19-2
10 Michigan St. Jaxon Kohler missed nine of the 13 shots he attempted in Friday's 83-71 loss to Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday at Minnesota. 3 19-3
11 Texas Tech JT Toppin finished with 31 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 90-86 win over Houston. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at UCF. -- 16-5
12 BYU AJ Dybantsa missed 18 of the 24 shots he attempted in Monday's 86-83 loss to Arizona. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. -- 17-3
13 Vanderbilt Tyler Tanner finished with 19 points and five assists in Tuesday's 80-55 win over Kentucky. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at Ole Miss. -- 18-3
14 Kansas Flory Bidunga finished with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday's 86-62 win at Kansas State. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against BYU. -- 15-5
15 Purdue Fletcher Loyer missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-67 loss at Indiana. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Maryland. -- 17-4
16 Arkansas Darius Acuff Jr. finished with 21 points and nine assists in Tuesday's 83-79 win at Oklahoma. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday against Kentucky. -- 16-5
17 Florida Boogie Fland missed eight of the 12 shots he attempted in Saturday's 76-67 loss to Florida. The Gators' next game is Wednesday at South Carolina. -- 15-6
18 Virginia Thijs De Ridder finished with 32 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 100-97 double-overtime win at Notre Dame. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Boston College. -- 17-3
19 Clemson Nick Davidson finished with 13 points and six rebounds in Saturday's 77-63 win at Georgia Tech. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Pitt. -- 18-4
20 Saint Louis Trey Green finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Friday's 102-71 win over Dayton. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday at Davidson. -- 21-1
21 Louisville Mikel Brown Jr. missed 12 of the 13 shots he attempted in Monday's 83-52 loss at Duke. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against SMU. -- 14-6
22 Alabama Latrell Wrightsell finished with 21 points and two assists in Tuesday's 90-64 win over Missouri. The Crimson Tide's next game is Sunday at Florida. -- 14-6
23 St. John's Ian Jackson finished with 18 points and five rebounds in Wednesday's 92-70 win over Butler. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at DePaul. -- 16-5
24 SMU Jaron Pierre Jr. finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 83-80 win over Florida State. The Mustangs' next game is Saturday at Louisville. -- 15-5
25 Miami (Ohio) Eian Elmer finished with 30 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 86-84 win over UMass. The Redhawks' next game is Saturday against Northern Illinois. -- 21-0
26 N. Carolina Caleb Wilson finished with 20 points and four rebounds in Saturday's 85-80 win at Virginia. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday at Georgia Tech. -- 16-4