Where Michigan basketball ranks in the preseason AP Top 25 poll

On Monday, the AP college basketball preseason poll was released ahead of the 2025-26 season.

According to the poll, Michigan basketball is expected to be a national contender heading into the season, checking in at No. 7 in the first rankings.

The Wolverines come in as the second-highest ranked team in the Big Ten, as Purdue is the preseason No. 1 team in the country. UCLA (No. 12), Illinois (No. 17), Michigan State (No. 22) and Wisconsin (No. 24) are other teams in the conference to check in the preseason Top 25. Oregon, Ohio State, Washington, Iowa and Indiana also received Top 25 votes from AP voters.

Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) shoots three against Texas A&M Aggies guard Jace Carter (0) during the first half of the second round of the NCAA tournament at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado, Saturday. March 22, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Considering the additions to Dusty May's 2025-26 team, along with some veteran returning players, it's no surprise to see the Wolverines in the top 10 to start the season. North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, who averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 assists per game as a sophomore with the Tar Heels, will lead Michigan at the point guard spot after Tre Donaldson transferred to Auburn. L.J. Cason, who provided a spark to Michigan's bench toward the end of last season, will provide depth and look to take another leap forward in his game.

At shooting guard, graduate student Nimari Burnett returns after nailing 40% of his three-point attempts last season and starting 37 games for the Wolverines. Depending on how true freshman Trey McKenney develops, he could provide depth at the position and be an offensive option in year one of his college career.

Senior Roddy Gayle returns to the Wolverines' roster at the small forward spot. After struggling shooting the ball for much of last year, Gayle turned it on at the end of the season and was a force in the NCAA Tournament on both sides of the ball. With another year in May's system and given his overall experience, Gayle could be poised for a breakout year.

At the four, USF transfer Yaxel Lendeborg, who opted to play for May instead of entering the NBA Draft, brings a variety of positive traits to the Wolverines as he averaged 17.7 points per game on 52% shooting for the Bulls last year. Graduate student Will Tschetter is expected to be a force once again off the bench for the Maize and Blue with his energy, rebounding and shooting ability. He averaged 6.4 points per game and shot over 35% from the three-point line.

Mar 16, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Will Tschetter (42) dribbles downcourt past Wisconsin Badgers forward Steven Crowl (22) during the second half during the 2025 Big Ten Championship Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Then, Illinois transfer Morez Johnson will man the center position in what is expected to be one of the best frontcourts in the country. He averaged seven points and 6.7 rebounds per game and shot 64% from the field with the Illini last year. Fellow transfer, Aday Mara from UCLA, will back up Johnson. With the Bruins in 2024-25, the 7-foot-3 big man averaged 6.4 points and four rebounds while averaging just over 13 minutes per game.

The Wolverines will get a chance to back up their preseason ranking when they take the floor for their season opener on Nov. 3 against Oakland, following two exhibition games against Cincinnati and St. John's.

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