For the first time since the first week of the season, we've made a change in the top two of the Power Rankings.
It has been Gonzaga then Baylor all season -- and for most of the season, it looked like there was an enormous gap between the top two and everyone else. But Michigan exited its COVID-19 pause looking as good as it has all season, while Baylor really struggled in its first two games out of its own pause. Despite the momentum building for the Wolverines, Baylor would have remained solidly at No. 2 as long as it didn't lose -- but the Bears suffered their first setback of the season on Saturday night to Kansas, so it was time to officially move Michigan to No. 2.
Breaking down résumés, it's tough to pick against Michigan. The Wolverines are ahead of Baylor in strength of record and KenPom, and behind the Bears in BPI and Sagarin. They're No. 2 in NET, one spot ahead of Baylor. Michigan is 7-1 in Quadrant 1 games and 5-0 in Quadrant 2 games, compared to Baylor's 6-1 and 2-0 records, respectively. Granted, Michigan's lone loss -- by 18 at Minnesota -- looks significantly worse now than it did then, but that doesn't stop them from moving up to No. 2.
Let's pump the brakes on the Michigan No. 1 talk, though. Gonzaga is still atop the nation in nearly every relevant metric, and it's 7-0 against Quadrant 1 opponents, 5-0 against Quadrant 2 opponents and still hasn't lost a game.
So there won't be a change at the top just yet, but it's time to welcome Michigan into the top two.
