AP college basketball rankings prediction: Michigan will rise into the top five

1 File: (7-0) This week: defeated Eastern Illinois 109-62
Purdue made the most of their lone outing during the holiday week with a win vs. Eastern Illinois. Daniel Jacobsen had 24 points and nine rebounds in the win and Braden Smith, second in the NCAA in assists, finished with 10 dimes in 23 minutes of action. Last week: No. 12 File: (7-0) This week: defeated Denver 103-73; defeated Norfolk State 98-61
Two performances this week led to two Arizona wins over Denver and Norfolk State in non-conference alignments heading into December. The Wildcats face Auburn and Alabama the next two Saturdays in their first games of December. Last week: No. 23 File: (8-0) This week: beat No. 22 Arkansas 80-71
Cameron Boozer and Duke gave a clinic on Thursday vs. Arkansas in an 80-71 win. Boozer had a career-high 35 points and added nine rebounds in the win as the Blue Devils moved to 8-0 on the season. They play Florida on Tuesday. Last week: No. 44 File: (6-1) This week: beat No. 13 Illinois 74-61
Since that Nov. 19 loss to Arizona, UConn has played angry and played well, winning both games against Bryant and most recently against Illinois. The win over the Illini was important and impressive as the Huskies held them to a season-low scoring level. Last week: No. 55 File: (7-0) This week: defeated San Diego State 94-54; beat No. 21 Auburn 102-72; defeated No. 12 Gonzaga 101-61
A 3-0 week with wins over SDSU, Auburn and Gonzaga by an average margin of 36.7 points? [Tim Robinson voice]: Yes, that’s enough. I’d say that’s enough. Michigan is now 7-0 on the season heading into December. It’s the first time since the 2020-21 season that the Wolverines are undefeated heading into December. Last week: No. 76 File: (7-1) This week: defeated Syracuse 78-74, OT; lost to No. 17 Tennessee 76-73; defeated Notre Dame 66-56
I’d say Houston has had its B game so far this season. That’s impressive considering they’re 7-1 heading into December, with the lone loss coming this week to Tennessee by a final margin of three points. Last week: No. 37 File: (7-0) This week: defeated Eastern Michigan 87-46; defeated NJIT 104-47
Six of Louisville’s seven wins, which enter the month of December undefeated, have come by double digits. It leads the country in scoring margin. Last week: No. 68 File: (6-1) This week: defeated Miami 72-62; defeated Dayton 83-79
BYU won its third straight game on Friday since losing to UConn on November 15. That winning streak includes double-digit victories over Wisconsin and Miami and an 83-79 over a resilient Dayton club. Last week: No. 99 File: (7-1) This week: beat No. 8 Alabama 95-85; defeated Maryland 100-61; lost to No. 7 Michigan 101-61
The last time we saw Gonzaga on the floor, Michigan wiped the floor in a rout of the Zags. I still expect Mark Few’s team to move up in the rankings this week because of what it did earlier in the week with wins over Alabama and Maryland by 10 and 39 points, respectively. Last week: No. 1210 File: (7-0) This week: defeated Eastern Carolina 89-56; defeated No. 16 North Carolina 74-58
At some point, Michigan State will get some credit for its impressive start to the season. Maybe this is the week. It defeated No. 16 North Carolina on Thursday for its third win over a ranked opponent this season. Last week: No. 1111 File: (7-0) This week: defeated No. 14 St. John’s 83-82; defeated Creighton 78-60; defeated Syracuse 95-64
Iowa State didn’t win the Players Era — let alone play for the money at the end of the week — but it was an impressive week nonetheless for TJ Otzelberger’s Cyclones as they went 3-0, beating St. John’s, Creighton and Syracuse. Last week: No. 1512 File: (5-2) This week: lost to No. 12 Gonzaga 95-85; defeated UNLV 115-76; defeated Maryland 105-72
Alabama could and should fall out of the top 10 this week after suffering a second loss this season, although both losses (to Purdue by seven and to Gonzaga by 10) should not cause the country to lose much respect among voters. Last week: No. 813 File: (6-2) This week: defeated Texas Rio Grande Valley 87-73; lost to No. 5 UConn 74-61
Illinois fell to 1-2 vs. ranked opponents when it fell to UConn. It still has the No. 13 offense in efficiency margin on the season, scoring a blistering 1,242 points per possession — despite a season-low 61 points in the loss. Last week: No. 1314 File: (5-2) This week: lost to TCU 84-80; defeated Providence 90-78
The Florida we’ve seen this season looks like a shell of the one from last season that won the national title. Until now. On Thursday, it fell to TCU 84-80 for the second time this season. They are 5-2 this season, with No. 4 Duke and No. 5 UConn in the next two games. Things could get worse before they get better in Gainesville. Last week: No. 1015 File: (7-1) This week: defeated Rutgers 85-60; beat No. 3 Houston 76-73; lost to Kansas 81-76
Playing its first-ranked opponent this week, Tennessee acquitted itself well in a win over Houston, but lost to unranked Kansas the next day. I still think voters have the Vols up a little in the polls this week, but they should still remain in the mid-teens. Last week: No. 1716 File: (6-2) This week: beat Oregon 84-73; lost to No. 7 Michigan 102-72; defeated No. 14 St. John’s 85-74
Auburn’s head-to-head win over St. John’s this week should give them a rise in the polls and push them past the Red Storm. They are 6-2 on the season, with their only losses coming to then-No. 1 Houston and No. 7 Michigan. Last week: No. 2117 File: (4-3) This week: lost to No. 15 Iowa State 83-82; defeated Baylor 96-81; lost to No. 21 Auburn 85-74
St. John’s is one of the teams I’m most fascinated to see how the voters handle this week. It lost by one point to No. 15 Iowa State and by 11 to No. 21 Auburn in Vegas, sandwiched between a quality 96-81 win over Baylor. The losses aren’t huge, but the record isn’t ideal, even though all three losses came against ranked foes. Last week: No. 1418 File: (5-2) This week: defeated Tennessee Tech 104-54
Wins over Loyola-Maryland and Tennessee Tech won’t change voters’ minds, even if they combined for a billion points. However, Britain will soon have opportunities to prove themselves again, with UNC and Gonzaga on the schedule for the coming week. Last week: No. 1919 File: (6-2) This week: defeated New Orleans 82-50, defeated Wyoming 76-72
After an ugly 30-point loss to No. 1 Purdue, Texas Tech defeated New Orleans on Wednesday behind Christian Anderson’s 23 points and JT Toppin’s 16 rebounds and then struggled against the Cowboys on Sunday. It’s been a mixed bag for the Red Raiders so far this season, but there’s plenty to build on heading into December. Last week: No. 2020 File: (8-0) This week: beat Western Kentucky 83-78; defeated VCU 89-74; defeated Saint Mary’s 96-71
Last week I correctly predicted that Vanderbilt would be ranked in the AP poll. This week I predict I’ll be right again in the Commodores and get a nice bump in a few spots. Their scoring offense ranks second in college basketball and that has led them to an 8-0 start. Last week: No. 2421 File: (6-1) This week: defeated St. Bonaventure 85-70; lost to No. 11 Michigan State 74-58
In what was a highly anticipated benchmark game for North Carolina, the No. 16 Tar Heels struggled this week against No. 11 Michigan State, suffering their first loss of the season by 16 points. Last week: No. 1622 File: (7-0) This week: defeated Kansas State 86-69; defeated Bethune-Cookman 100-56
Indiana’s perfect start to the season is now showing some light after beating Kansas State by 17 points in Bloomington this week. The Hoosiers are 7-0 in December. Last week: No. 2523 File: (5-2) This week: lost to California 80-72
Cal defeated rival UCLA in the Empire Classic Championship game this week, handing the Bruins their second loss of the season. Star guard Donovan Dent was limited to just three points in the loss. Last week: No. 1824 File: (6-2) This week: defeated Notre Dame 71-61, defeated Syracuse 71-60, defeated No. 17 Tennessee 81-76
Without star Darryn Peterson in Vegas this week, Kansas went 3-0 in wins over Notre Dame, Syracuse and Tennessee. The win over the Vols could push the Jayhawks back into the AP poll after falling last week. Last week: NO25 File: (5-2) This week: defeated No. 10 Florida 84-80, defeated Wisconsin 74-63
Despite two losses on the season (one against New Orleans – impact!), TCU’s resume now includes wins over Florida and Wisconsin after a strong performance at the Rady Children’s Invitational. TCU could start earning votes and even appear in the poll this week, which seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago. Last week: NO