Michigan makes big jump

John Beilein falls under the radar at Michigan, but make no mistake — he is one of college basketball’s best coaches. He’s certainly proving that so far this season.

After making a run to the national championship last season, Beilein’s squad lost a few key pieces, but the Wolverines have come back with perhaps an even better team. They dismantled everything in their path last week, and that’s why they made the biggest vault in this week’s poll.

Michigan jumped 11 spots, from No. 18 to No. 7 — and nine spots from No. 18 to No. 9 in the AP poll — and the Wolverines may be worthy of an even better ranking after what they did last week, crushing Villanova by 27 on the Wildcats’ home floor in a title game rematch before whooping George Washington and Providence to win the Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament.

Michigan is now 5-0 and looks like one of the best teams in the country. The Wolverines have gelled more quickly than maybe expected, and they’re dominating on both ends of the floor. They have balance on offense, and can roll out any lineup you want. On defense, they’re elite. Through two weeks, they have the best defensive efficiency in the country.

Behind Michigan, the Big Ten is off to a strong start, and that’s represented in my poll. I had seven teams from the conference in my poll, including Iowa’s debut at No. 17 after the Hawkeyes’ strong victories over Oregon and UConn in the 2K Classic.

Duke (1), Virginia (4) and North Carolina (5) all stayed in their spots in my poll, but Virginia Tech also looks to be a real player in the ACC after beating Purdue to win the Charleston Classic. I put them No. 10, and led by a talented backcourt of Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Justin Robinson, the Hokies look like a team to stay.