College basketball rankings: Michigan roars into March with important road win vs. Illinois
The Wolverines captured the outright Big Ten title with a victory vs. the Illini
Michigan took another step toward securing a No. 1 seed in the 2026 NCAA Tournament late Friday by beating Illinois 84-70 to clinch the program's first outright Big Ten regular-season championship since 2014.
The Wolverines were great.
They shot 53% from the field, took their first double-digit lead of the game on an Aday Mara dunk with 16:11 remaining, then pushed that advantage all the way up to 21 points before cruising to the buzzer and winning by 14. At this point, even if Michigan loses every game it plays between now and Selection Sunday, it's unlikely four other teams will emerge with better bodies of work. So, yeah, in Year 2 in Ann Arbor, Dusty May is going to bring the school just its fourth No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since the bracket expanded to 64 teams in 1985.
"I want to give our guys a lot of credit," May said following the win at Illinois that moved Michigan's record to 27-2 and gave the Wolverines a co-national-best 12 Quadrant-1 victories. "We came into an extremely hostile environment against a very, very talented basketball team that's well-coached. We got better by scouting them, by preparing for them, by watching them this year. That's a good group -- and I wouldn't be surprised, if we continue to play well, if we see them one or two more times down the line."
Michigan is No. 2 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Duke, one of only two teams to beat the Wolverines this season, remains No. 1. Illinois is down to No. 10. Next up for Michigan is Thursday's game at Iowa that'll be followed by Sunday's regular-season finale against Michigan State.
Tip for Michigan State-Michigan will be at 5:30 p.m. ET.
You'll be able to watch it on CBS.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Cameron Boozer finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds in Tuesday's 100-56 win at Notre Dame. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday against Virginia. | -- | 26-2 |
| 2 |  | Morez Johnson Jr. finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds in Friday's 84-70 win at Illinois. The Wolverines' next game is Thursday at Iowa. | -- | 27-2 |
| 3 |  | Jaden Bradley finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 87-80 win at Baylor. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Kansas. | -- | 26-2 |
| 4 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 75-59 win at Utah. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday against Texas Tech. | -- | 24-4 |
| 5 |  | Alex Condon finished with 23 points and four blocks in Tuesday's 84-71 win at Texas. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Arkansas. | -- | 22-6 |
| 6 |  | Tarris Reed Jr. finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 72-40 win over St. John's. The Huskies' next game is Saturday against Seton Hall. | -- | 26-3 |
| 7 |  | Emanuel Sharp missed nine of the 10 shots he attempted in Monday's 69-56 loss at Kansas. The Cougars' next game is Saturday against Colorado. | -- | 23-5 |
| 8 |  | Braden Frager finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 74-61 win over Maryland. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday at USC. | -- | 24-4 |
| 9 |  | Tre White finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Monday's 69-56 win over Houston. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday at Arizona. | 1 | 21-7 |
| 10 |  | Tomislav Ivisic missed seven of the 10 shots he attempted in Friday's 84-70 loss to Michigan. The Illini's next game is Tuesday against Oregon. | 1 | 22-7 |
| 11 |  | Graham Ike finished with 19 points and eight rebounds in Tuesday's 89-48 win over Portland. The Zags' next game is Saturday at Saint Mary's. | -- | 28-2 |
| 12 |  | Thijs De Ridder finished with 19 points and four rebounds in Tuesday's 90-61 win over Virginia. The Cavaliers' next game is Saturday at Duke. | -- | 25-3 |
| 13 |  | Carson Cooper finished with 15 points and six rebounds in Thursday's 76-74 win at Purdue. The Spartans' next game is Sunday at Indiana. | -- | 23-5 |
| 14 |  | Braden Smith missed six of the 10 shots he attempted in Thursday's 76-74 loss to Michigan State. The Boilermakers' next game is Sunday at Ohio State. | -- | 22-6 |
| 15 |  | Amari Allen finished with 23 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 100-75 win over Mississippi State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday at Tennessee. | -- | 21-7 |
| 16 |  | Billy Richmond III finished with 23 points and two steals in Tuesday's 99-84 win over Texas A&M. The Razorbacks' next game is Saturday at Florida. | -- | 21-7 |
| 17 |  | Christian Anderson finished with 31 points and 11 rebounds in Tuesday's 80-68 win over Cincinnati. The Red Raiders' next game is Saturday at Iowa State. | -- | 21-7 |
| 18 |  | Bryce Hopkins missed 11 of the 14 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 72-40 loss at UConn. The Red Storm's next game is Saturday against Villanova. | -- | 22-6 |
| 19 |  | Peter Suder finished with 18 points and three rebounds in Friday's 69-67 win at Western Michigan. The RedHawks' next game is Tuesday against Toledo. | -- | 29-0 |
| 20 |  | Tyler Tanner finished with 17 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 88-80 win over Georgia. The Commodores' next game is Saturday at Kentucky. | -- | 22-6 |
| 21 |  | Seth Trimble finished with 30 points and four assists in Monday's 77-74 win over Louisville. The Tar Heels' next game is Saturday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 22-6 |
| 22 |  | Robert Wright III missed 14 of the 21 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 97-84 loss to UCF. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at West Virginia. | -- | 20-8 |
| 23 |  | Mikel Brown Jr. missed 16 of the 25 shots he attempted in Monday's 77-74 loss at North Carolina. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday at Clemson. | -- | 20-8 |
| 24 |  | Ja'Kobi Gillespie missed 13 of the 21 shots he attempted in Tuesday's 73-69 loss at Missouri. The Vols' next game is Saturday against Alabama. | -- | 20-8 |
| 25 |  | Acaden Lewis finished with 20 points and four assists in Tuesday's 82-73 win over Butler. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at St. John's. | -- | 22-6 |
| 26 |  | Nick Boyd finished with 27 points and 10 assists in Sunday's 84-71 win over Iowa. The Badgers' next game is Wednesday at Oregon. | -- | 19-9 |
