Michigan was picked to win the Big Ten in a preseason media poll. And the Wolverines might still do it; it's too early to rule anything out. But there's no denying things aren't off to a great start after Juwan Howard's program dropped to 3-2 Sunday night with an 80-62 loss to Arizona in Las Vegas.
"[Arizona] could get anything they wanted anytime they wanted," Howard said.
He was basically right.
The Wildcats made 33 of the 66 shots they attempted and snapped a stretch of 15 games in which Michigan had held opponents to less than 80 points. The byproduct is that the Wolverines now have two losses just 13 days into this season. Last season, they didn't take their second loss until March 2.
Christian Koloko, a 7-foot-junior, led Arizona with 22 points, seven rebounds, four blocks and two assists in 30 minutes. Michigan never got closer than 15 points in the final 10 minutes while five-star freshman Caleb Houstan generally struggled and finished with just six points. He's now 4-of-25 from the field in Michigan's past three games.
"[We] played with great intelligence and swag," said first-year Arizona coach Tommy Lloyd. "Our Arizona swag is confidence — but it's backed up with intelligence and effort."
The 18-point victory improved Arizona to 5-0 and hopefully quieted some of the former Arizona players who publicly questioned the school when it hired Lloyd, the long-time Gonzaga assistant under Mark Few. Either way, the Wildcats are clearly one of the pleasant surprises of this season. I've moved them to No. 15 in Monday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings. They're one of three Pac-12 programs in the Top 25 And 1. The others are No. 2 UCLA and No. 23 USC.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  |
Drew Timme finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Friday's 92-50 win over Bellarmine. The Zags' next game is Monday against Central Michigan. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  |
Jaime Jaquez Jr. finished with 20 points and eight rebounds in Wednesday's 98-63 win over North Florida. The Bruins' next game is Monday against Bellarmine. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  |
Ochai Agbaji made four 3-pointers and finished with 25 points in Thursday's 88-59 win over Stony Brook. The Jayhawks' next game is Thursday against North Texas. | -- | 3-0 |
| 4 |  |
Zach Edey finished with 21 points and six rebounds in Sunday's 80-74 win over Villanova. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Nebraska Omaha. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 5 |  |
Villanova allowed Purdue to shoot 52.7% from the field in Sunday's 80-74 loss to the Boilermakers. The Wildcats' next game is Sunday against La Salle. | 1 | 3-2 |
| 6 |  |
Jalen Duren finished with 22 points, 19 rebounds and five blocks in Friday's 74-62 win over Western Kentucky. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against Virginia Tech. | -- | 4-0 |
| 7 |  |
Wendell Moore Jr. finished with 23 points, six rebounds and four assists in Friday's 88-55 win over Lafayette. The Blue Devils' next game is Monday against The Citadel. | -- | 5-0 |
| 8 |  |
Timmy Allen finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Saturday's 79-45 win over San Jose State. The Longhorns' next game is Wednesday against Cal Baptist. | -- | 3-1 |
| 9 |  |
James Akinjo finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 86-48 win over Stanford. The Bears' next game is Wednesday against Arizona State. | -- | 4-0 |
| 10 |  |
Chris Lykes made four 3-pointers and finished with 26 points in Wednesday's 93-80 win over Northern Iowa. The Razorbacks' next game is Monday against Kansas State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 11 |  |
Jaden Shackelford finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Friday's 86-59 win over Oakland. The Crimson Tide's next game is Thursday against Iona. | -- | 4-0 |
| 12 |  |
Marcus Sasser made five 3-pointers and finished with 18 points in Tuesday's 67-47 win over Virginia. The Cougars' next game is Monday against Butler. | -- | 3-0 |
| 13 |  |
TyTy Washington finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Friday's 77-59 win over Ohio. The Wildcats' next game is Monday against Albany. | -- | 3-1 |
| 14 |  |
Caleb Lohner finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Saturday's 97-61 win over Central Methodist. The Cougars' next game is Wednesday against Texas Southern. | -- | 4-0 |
| 15 |  |
Christian Koloko finished with 22 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's 80-62 win over Michigan. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday against Sacramento State. | NR | 5-0 |
| 16 |  |
Jared Rhoden finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Tuesday's 67-65 win at Michigan. The Pirates' next game is Monday against Ohio State. | -- | 3-0 |
| 17 |  |
K.D. Johnson finished with 15 points off the bench in Friday's 58-52 win at USF. The Tigers' next game is Wednesday against UConn. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 18 |  |
Tyrese Martin finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds in Saturday's 87-63 win over Binghamton. The Huskies' next game is Wednesday against Auburn. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 19 |  |
Illinois committed 26 turnovers in Monday's 67-66 loss at Marquette. The Illini's next game is Monday against Cincinnati. | 1 | 2-1 |
| 20 |  |
Kennedy Chandler finished with 14 points and eight assists in Sunday's 89-72 win over North Carolina. The Vols' next game is Friday against Tennessee Tech. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 21 |  |
Jaren Holmes finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds in Sunday's 70-54 win over Marquette. The Bonnies' next game is Saturday against Northern Iowa. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 22 |  |
Justyn Mutts finished with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in Sunday's 72-43 win over Merrimack. The Hokies' next game is Wednesday against Memphis. | 1 | 5-0 |
| 23 |  |
Boogie Ellis finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and six assists in Tuesday's 78-61 win at Florida Gulf Coast. The Trojans' next game is Monday against Dixie State. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 24 |  |
Colin Castleton finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's win over Milwaukee. The Gators' next game is Monday against California. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 25 |  |
Paul Scruggs finished with 14 points, six rebounds and four assists in Thursday's 71-65 win over Ohio State. The Musketeers' next game is Sunday against Norfolk State. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 26 |  |
Marcus Bingham Jr. finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds in Saturday's 83-59 win over Eastern Michigan. The Spartans' next game is Wednesday against Loyola Chicago. | NR | 3-1 |
IN: Arizona, Michigan State
OUT: North Carolina, Michigan