Michigan Title Odds Shorten to +2000 After Making Biggest Jump in AP Poll History from Unranked to #4

• Michigan is No. 4 in the Associated Press poll this week after being unranked all season
• Juwan Howard has led the Wolverines to a 7-0 record in his first season as coach
• Senior point guard Zavier Simpson leads the nation with 9.7 assists a game

Now No. 4 Michigan Wolverines made a meteoric rise in the Associated Press poll Monday from unranked to the top five after an undefeated start and multiple wins over fellow top ten opponents.

The Wolverines’ odds to win the national championship moved accordingly, shortening to +2000.

2020 NCAA Tournament Championship Odds

Odds taken Dec. 2

Michigan (7-0) was not ranked in the season’s first four polls. However, it became the second team in the 70-year history of the poll to go from unranked to that high. The other was Kansas in 1989.

Michigan made the jump by virtue by winning the Battle 4 Atlantis last weekend in the Bahamas. Seemingly an afterthought in an eight-team field that included four teams in the top 15, the Wolverines beat Iowa State 83-76, No. 6 North Carolina 73-64 and No. 8 Gonzaga 82-64 on consecutive days.

Michigan has seen its 2020 NCAA Tournament odds improve significantly since the beginning of the season.

Howard Makes Immediate Impact

Juwan Howard has yet to lose a game in his first-ever head coaching gig. The hiring of the former Michigan star last spring was hailed by fans and alumni but there were also question marks surrounding him.

It had been 25 years since Howard was last involved in college basketball, his third and final season as part of the fabled Fab Five that twice led Michigan to the NCAA Tournament title game. He then played 19 seasons in the NBA before spending six more years as an assistant coach with the Miami Heat.

17‼️‼️‼️‼️ So happy for this dude! https://t.co/8YUEXyvrDo

— DWade (@DwyaneWade) November 30, 2019

Howard had interviewed for NBA head coaching on three occasions and it seemed only a matter of time before he landed one of those gigs. However, when John Beilein left for the pro ranks and Cleveland Cavaliers, Howard could not resist the lure of returning to Ann Arbor.

So far, it has been a very happy homecoming.

Picking Up the Pace

The biggest change under Howard is that Michigan is playing faster.

Beilein believed in a more methodical offense that relied on spacing and perimeter shooting while this version of the Wolverines runs the floor a little more. Michigan is averaging 70.2 possessions a game this season, up from 64.8 a year ago.

Junior forward Isaiah Livers is the top scorer at 17 points-per-game. That is more double his 7.9 average from last season.

However, the man who is making the offense go is senior point guard Zavier Simpson, who leads the nation in assists with 9.7 a game to go with a 12.3 scoring average. His 14 assists in a win over Houston Baptist on Nov. 22 were one off the school record.

Howard spent his NBA career as a low-post player and has helped 7-1 senior center Jon Teske immensely. The MVP at Atlantis, Teske has averages of 13.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 2.6 blocked shots and 1.6 steals.

Showdown With No. 1 Louisville Awaits

Michigan will get another stiff test Tuesday night (Dec. 3) when it visits No. 1 Louisville (7-0) as part of the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Touched down in Louisville ?#GoBlue 〽️? pic.twitter.com/yQFBP92NXv

— Michigan Men's Basketball (@umichbball) December 3, 2019

The Wolverines then begin Big Ten play by hosting Iowa on Dec. 6 and visiting Illinois on Dec. 11. A major non-conference test comes Dec. 14 when No. 13 Oregon visits venerable Crisler Arena.

Michigan then has two very winnable home games against Presbyterian and UMass-Lowell before returning to conference play in the new year.

Atonement for Howard?

While Michigan sits at No. 4 in the AP Poll, it is ranked as third-best team in the country in USA Today’s Sagarin Ratings, is No. 6 in the KenPom.com rankings and is rated 12^th by Team Rankings.

Howard came very close to winning a national championship as a player. Perhaps he will do it in his first season as the coach in what seems like a wide-open field of contenders.

The Wolverines warrant a small play at +2000. Those odds may not be this good again.