Move over, Duke and Purdue. Michigan is the favorite for the national title

The Michigan Wolverines spent three days in Las Vegas proving they belong in a different conversation than the rest of college basketball. The Wolverines didn’t just win the Players Era Festival championship. They destroyed it.

Dusty May’s team crushed the San Diego State Aztecs by 40, defeated the No. 21 Auburn Tigers by 30, and embarrassed the No. 12 Gonzaga Bulldogs by 40 in the title game to finish with a combined margin of 110 points in the three wins. That kind of dominance doesn’t happen by accident, and it doesn’t happen against weak competition either.

Michigan’s 7-0 start now carries more weight than the Duke Blue Devils’ 8-0 start or the Purdue Boilermakers’ 6-0 mark because of how they win. The Wolverines accomplished something no team in the AP Poll era has ever done: win back-to-back games against ranked opponents by 30-plus points. Duke and Purdue have wins over ranked teams, but neither has blown away the competition like this.

The destruction of Gonzaga told the whole story in one night. Michigan dropped 101 points against the Bulldogs in a game that was never competitive after the opening minutes. They led by 24 at halftime and held Gonzaga to 14% three-point shooting while forcing them into uncomfortable possessions for 40 minutes.

Jaakel Landeborg left as MVP of the tournament after 20 points and 11 rebounds in the championship. But the real difference was the depth. Seven Wolverines scored in double figures against Gonzaga, a level of balance that neither Duke nor Purdue can currently match.

Being in Auburn the night before proved it was no fluke. Auburn coach Steven Pearl could only describe what happened after watching Michigan take a 59-31 halftime lead. His assessment was harsh. “Sometimes you’ll run into a saw.”

The Tigers never recovered. Landeborg led with 17 points, but Roddy Gale Jr. matched with 17 of his own, Morez Johnson Jr. and Nimari Burnett each added 15, and the bench kept pouring. Auburn didn’t score its first field goal until the 14-minute mark, a stretch that exposed the gap between Michigan’s firepower and everyone else’s.

The difference between Michigan and everyone else

This is where Michigan separates itself from the other contenders. Duke has Cameron Boozer contributing 22.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game, and the Blue Devils are riding that generational talent to 8-0. But Duke is built around one player who carries nearly every statistical category. It seems like if Boozer has an off night, the entire offense could stop.

Purdue brings a different formula with Braden Smith leading the offense and Trey Kaufman-Rehn controlling the glass. The Boilermakers have quality wins, including a road win at Alabama and a 30-point neutral-site victory over Texas Tech. But those margins don’t compare to what Michigan just did. Purdue beat Alabama by seven. Michigan beat Auburn and Gonzaga by a combined 70 points.

Michigan’s roster gives them answers that Duke and Purdue don’t have. Landeborg leads the team with 16.0 points per game, but doesn’t dominate in every category. Adai Mara anchors the interior with 8.7 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game, giving Michigan one of the best rim protectors in the country. Elliot Cadeau orchestrates the offense with 5.4 assists per game. Gayle brings perimeter defense with 1.4 steals per game.

When one player fights, three others step forward. That’s the advantage of a multi-hub system over Duke’s Boozer-centric approach or Purdue’s two-man show. Michigan has six or seven players who can take over a game on any given night, and they proved that by having different leading scorers in all three games of the Players Era.

The versatility of the offense makes them impossible to prepare for. Michigan has scored more than 100 points in three of its seven games against legitimate competition, and no opponent has topped it. They can push the tempo and run teams off the floor like they did against Gonzaga. They can also slow him down and go through defensive battles, as seen in their 67-63 road win at TCU.

Duke and Purdue don’t have that range. Duke lives and dies by whether Boozer gets his numbers. Purdue grinds every possession and relies on execution, but they don’t have the equipment to destroy elite teams for 40. Michigan has both speeds, and that’s why they look more dangerous than anyone else right now.

Can Michigan maintain this level?

The advance schedule will test them. Michigan opens Big Ten play on Dec. 6 against Rutgers before closing out non-conference play with Villanova and USC. Then comes the real gauntlet with Purdue, Illinois, Michigan State, and a Big Ten conference that has seven teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

But if Michigan keeps playing like this, those games become resume builders, not roadblocks. They have already proven that they can dominate ranked teams in neutral locations. They showed they can win on the road at TCU. The complete package is here.

Duke and Purdue have earned their undefeated records and are off to good starts. But three days in Las Vegas changed the conversation. Michigan didn’t just beat good teams. They destroyed them in ways that revealed a rift between the Wolverines and everyone else.

Rim protection, depth, offensive firepower, ability to win at any pace; Michigan has everything you need to cut down the nets in April. Right now, no one in college basketball looks any closer to doing that.