The Final Two Undefeated Teams in Men’s College Basketball Fall as Michigan and Virginia Lose

The last time a Division I men’s college basketball team ran the table and won the championship with an undefeated record was 32-0 Indiana back in 1976, so there really should not be a surprise that we won’t have one this year, either. The final two undefeated teams, #2 Michigan and #4 Virginia, lost within hours of each other on January 19th.

Michigan went to Madison to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center. The Badgers got off to a good start in the 2018-19 season, but had lost four of five, most recently an 84-80 loss to Purdue and 64-60 loss at #19 Maryland. Both games were winnable but Wisconsin couldn’t close them out. But the Badgers have done well against Michigan the last few years, going 19-6 against the Wolverines since 2005, and were 13-2 at the Kohl Center.

That run of success by the Badgers at the Kohl Center continued as Wisconsin pulled away late to beat Michigan 64-54. Ethan Happ led the Badgers with 26 points, 10 rebounds, and seven assists. The Badgers played effective defense and didn’t let this one slip away at the end as they had done in their last two losses . Jon Teske led Michigan with 15 points. Michigan is now 17-1 overall and 6-1 in the Big Ten, while Wisconsin is 12-6 and 4-3 in the conference.

In Durham, North Carolina, #1 Duke (which was upset by Syracuse on January 14th), hosted #4 Virginia. The Blue Devils shot 63% in the second half to edge the Cavaliers 72-70 behind a 30 point performance by R.J. Barrett and 27 points from Zion Williamson. Duke was without starting guard Tre Jones, who was injured in the Syracuse loss.

Duke (15-2, 4-1) may or may not retain the #1 ranking, if those voting in the poll believe this win was more important than the four point loss to Syracuse. It would not be a surprise if #3 Tennessee moved up to the top spot. The Volunteers beat Alabama 71-68 on January 19th, and are 16-1. Tennessee’s only loss was to then #2 Kansas on November 24th.