Now that the official date for college basketball players to withdraw their names from the NBA Draft has passed (May 28th), we have a clearer picture of what teams will have on their rosters next year. Along with that comes the endless parade of "way-too-early" preseason polls, which serve no purpose other than to fire up the fan bases of teams that are rated in the top 10 or top 5. Michigan is one of those fan bases this year.

With veteran leadership in Roddy Gayle . With Nimari Burnett and Will Tschetter pairing up with the number one rated portal class in the nation and a five-star freshman, it's easy to see why there's so much excitement around the program. Michigan is loaded with talent, and it has solid bench play to back up its elite-level starters. Based on those facts, Big Ten Network analyst Andy Katz released his preseason rankings with Michigan positioned amongst the elite in the nation.

Katz has Michigan as his fifth-best squad heading into the 2025-26 season. The craziest part is for that lofty ranking, the Wolverines are not even Katz's best team in the Big Ten. That honor goes to Purdue, which snagged the number one overall spot in Katz's Power 37 rankings. With so much veteran play at every position, it is going to be a very exciting year for Michigan basketball. The Big Ten as a whole looks to be solid from top to bottom. Every team that makes it into March Madness from the Big Ten Conference will come in fully battle-tested. It could be a historic season for Dusty May in Ann Arbor.