The University of Michigan men's basketball team has climbed three spots to fourth place in both the Associated Press Top 25 and USA TODAY Coaches Poll, and one spot to fifth place in the latest ESPN.com Power Rankings, all of which were updated on Monday. The rise follows a week in which the Wolverines put together back-to-back home wins over Penn State and Illinois.
In the latter victory, which took place on Sunday at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, sophomore guard Trey Burke became just the seventh player in U-M history to surpass 1,000 career points. Burke was a major contributor, as he scored 26 points to go along with eight assists to help the Maize and Blue defeat the visiting Fighting Illini, 71-58.
The Indiana Hoosiers remain the top-ranked men's college basketball team in the country, holding onto the No. 1 spot on the strength of a 72-68 win over the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing on February 19. Gonzaga and Duke are ranked second and third, respectively, in the AP Top 25 and USA TODAY polls, as well as on ESPN.com.
The Wolverines are now 23-4 overall on the season and 10-4 in Big Ten play, trailing the Hoosiers, who lead the conference at 12-2, and the Spartans, who are 11-4. U-M takes to the road for a Wednesday meeting with Penn State, then returns home for a much-anticipated rematch with MSU on Sunday, for which CBS will have the telecast at 4 p.m. ET.
Learn more about Michigan's win over Illinois in a detailed recap on the school's athletic website, MGoBlue.com. Keep track of Wolverine men's hoops on Facebook and Twitter.
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