Michigan basketball a top-10 team in preseason Associated Press poll

Michigan Wolverines basketball has big-time expectations for the 2025-26 season, and Associated Press voters feel the same way. The Maize and Blue check in No. 7 in the preseason top 25.

Last season, Michigan was coming off an 8-24 year but wound up 27-10 with a Big Ten Tournament title, Sweet 16 berth and No. 10 final ranking in the AP poll.

To begin this year, Michigan is behind only No. 1 Purdue, No. 2 Houston, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 UConn, No. 5 St. John’s and No. 6 Duke.

The Wolverines are one of six Big Ten teams in the Associated Press poll, joined by No. 1 Purdue, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 24 Wisconsin.

Michigan will play eight games against seven teams that are in the top 25 entering the season: at No. 1 Purdue (Feb. 17), vs. No. 6 Duke (Feb. 21 in Washington D.C.), vs. No. 12 UCLA (Feb. 14), at No. 17 Illinois (Feb. 27), vs. No. 20 Auburn (Nov. 25 in Las Vegas), vs. No. 22 Michigan State (at MSU Jan. 30, in Ann Arbor March 8) and vs. No. 24 Wisconsin (Jan. 10). The Wolverines also have an exhibition with No. 5 St. John’s Oct. 25.

The Wolverines haven’t been ranked this high in the preseason since slotting No. 6 ahead of the 2021-22 campaign that ended with a 19-15 record and Sweet 16 appearance. This is the 16th time that U-M has been ranked top 10 to begin a year.

Season	Preseason Ranking (AP Poll)
2025-26	7th
2021-22	6th
2013-14	7th
2012-13	5th
1996-97	9th
1993-94	5th
1992-93	1st
1989-90	4th
1988-89	3rd
1987-88	9th
1985-86	3rd
1978-79	8th
1976-77	1st
1965-66	2nd
1964-65	1st
1963-64	8th

Michigan is viewed as a legitimate national championship contender, with BetMGM giving it the sixth-best odds to cut down the nets on the final Monday night of the season in Indianapolis, tied with Kentucky and St. John’s at +1600. The only programs with better chances are Purdue (+800), Houston (+900), Duke (+1300), Connecticut (+1400) and Florida (+1400).

Michigan stands No. 11 in the nation in Kenpom‘s preseason rankings, with the site projecting the Wolverines at No. 20 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 8 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Head coach Dusty May‘s second team will begin its season Nov. 3 against Oakland at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor. Two exhibition games are on the books ahead of the year — Oct. 17 against Cincinnati in Ann Arbor and Oct. 25 versus St. John’s at Madison Square Garden in New York.

May and Co. are embracing the expectations heading in, due to its star-studded roster and strong culture, but understands that growth throughout the season will be a process.

“I don’t see why we can’t compete with every single team in the country on any given night,” May said Sept. 29. “I want to try to win every game. Obviously, we’re not going to, but we feel very good about how capable our roster is. Now, does that equate to winning? No.”

Here’s a look at the full AP poll rankings:

2025-26 college basketball preseason Associated Press poll

1. Purdue (35 first-place votes)
2. Houston (16)
3. Florida (8)
4. UConn (2)
5. St. John’s
6. Duke
7. Michigan
8. BYU
9. Kentucky
10. Texas Tech
11. Louisville
12. UCLA
13. Arizona
14. Arkansas
15. Alabama
16. Iowa State
17. Illinois
18. Tennessee
19. Kansas
20. Auburn
21. Gonzaga
22. Michigan State
23. Creighton
24. Wisconsin
25. North Carolina