The long and winding college basketball season is a grind and even the best teams can stumble at points. Take the case of No. 2 Michigan, which absolutely stampeded through the non-conference portion of the season with historically dominant performances, leading some experts to label them as the favorite to win the national championship.
There are still three months before the nets are cut down and a lot of basketball to be played, which can lead to a loss of focus from even the best teams. The Wolverines were a bit sloppy with a two-point victory over Penn State, one of the Big Ten's worst teams, and they followed that up with an uncharacteristically poor defensive performance to allow Wisconsin to knock them off in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
A victory like that is massive for Wisconsin, which earned possibly the best win of the season if they find themselves near the bubble, but how much will this slip-up cost Michigan in the next AP Top 25 poll? Read on to find out as we project the AP Top 25 below and look at some of the most impactful games of the week that was.
Projected AP Top 25 Rankings after Michigan's loss to Wisconsin
1. Arizona Wildcats
2. Iowa State Cyclones
3. UConn Huskies
4. Purdue Boilermakers
5. Michigan Wolverines
6. Duke Blue Devils
7. Houston Cougars
8. Gonzaga Bulldogs
9. BYU Cougars
10. Nebraska Cornhuskers
11. Vanderbilt Commodores
12. Michigan State Spartans
13. Illinois Fighting Illini
14. Alabama Crimson Tide
15. Texas Tech Red Raiders
16. Arkansas Razorbacks
17. North Carolina Tar Heels
18. Virginia Cavaliers
19. Florida Gators
20. Georgia Bulldogs
21. Louisville Cardinals
22. Tennessee Volunteers
23. Utah State Aggies
24. Clemson Tigers
25. Seton Hall Pirates
Michigan slips up against Wisconsin
The big story of the week is an uncharacteristically sloppy defensive performance from Michigan, which allowed Wisconsin to shoot 50 percent from the floor and knock down 15 3's The Wolverines' offense is so good that they were nearly able to overcome that awful defense, but the Badgers deserve a ton of credit for taking advantage of lapses on the defensive end for Michigan.
Dusty May is probably fine with taking a loss now as it will serve as a good reminder that the Wolverines need to lock in and focus on the little things to keep winning basketball games. A small slide is likely in order thanks to a mediocre effort at Penn State early in the week but Michigan's body of work should keep them in the Top 5.
Nebraska rallies to stay undefeated
Indiana's football team is the story of college sports right now but their basketball team nearly made a huge mark on the season. The Hoosiers built a 16-point lead in the second half against unbeaten Nebraska, but the No. 10 Cornhuskers had a huge rally to escape Assembly Hall with a six-point victory.
No road win in the Big Ten is easy this year and the Cornhuskers earned two of them this week after winning at Ohio State on Monday night. Fred Hoiberg's team has won 20 consecutive games dating back to The Crown last April and is trending towards a spot on the 2-line in March, seizing the top spot in the Big Ten for now after Michigan's loss on Saturday.
Duke Hangs On Against Louisville
There have been a few defensive lapses for No. 6 Duke lately but their offense is very hard to stop. The Blue Devils shot 51 percent from the floor on Tuesday to earn an impressive road victory at No. 20 Louisville, who figures to be one of their top challengers for the ACC's regular season crown.
It was essentially a three-man show for Duke in that game as Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster combined for 70 of the Blue Devils' 84 points. The two teams will meet again at Cameron Indoor Stadium at the end of the month, which looks to be an exciting spot to see if the Cardinals can avenge this loss and stay in the race for the regular season crown.
Florida upsets Georgia as part of a big week
There were signs that Florida was starting to figure things out at the end of non-conference play and the Gators demonstrated their progress in a big way this week. The reigning national champions scored a pair of victories over ranked foes, sweeping a home stand against No. 18 Georgia and No. 21 Tennessee with a pair of blowout wins.
The Georgia game may well be a turning point for Florida, which responded to a two-point loss at Missouri by absolutely bullying the Bulldogs, winning the rebounding battle 56-35 in a very physical effort. Expect to see a number next to Florida's name this week as they have a two-game trip this week to Oklahoma and (current) No. 11 Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt stakes early SEC supremacy claim against Alabama
The two best SEC teams this season have been undefeated Vanderbilt, which is up to No. 11 in the polls, and No. 13 Alabama, which has the best resume of any SEC team. The two faced off in Nashville for their only meeting of the season and the Commodores won a barn-burner, outlasting the Crimson Tide 96-90 in a game that was played at the electric pace Alabama usually thrives in.
All five starters scored at least 10 points for Vanderbilt with Tyler Tanner's 29 serving as the game high. The Commodores are now 16-0 on the season and have survived a clear hurdle in their bid to claim their first regular season SEC title since 1993.