The Duke Blue Devils defeated the No. 1 team in the nation and then moved into the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25 Poll. That just makes sense. Right?
Well, apparently upsetting the team ranked above the rest by five points, despite being 2.5-point underdogs, doesn't earn you the respect it should from everyone.
Despite Duke's incredible win over the then-No. 1 Michigan Wolverines, and despite being named No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 Poll, CBS Sports' Matt Norlander doesn't think they deserve to be ranked above the rest.
In fact, Norlander joined CBS Sports HQ to say that he still has the Wolverines as the best team in the nation, and more deserving of the No. 1 ranking, despite the fact that they just lost to the Blue Devils.
Matt Lorander loses all respect with take on Duke and Michigan
"I still favor Michigan," Norlander said. "I know Duke just won the game on the neutral floor, I get that. It was a one-off... I would still vote Michigan as the overall best team in the country."
That means, and he specified, that he would even rank the Wolverines ahead of the Arizona Wildcats, who are currently No. 2, who also have a 25-2 overall record, and who just defeated the then-No. 2 Houston Cougars.
To put it mildly, Norlander's take on the rankings is entirely out of touch with the current status of these top-ranked teams.
"I still favor Michigan... I would still vote Michigan as the overall best team in the country." ✍️@MattNorlander has Michigan as the best team in the country despite their loss to No. 1 Duke. pic.twitter.com/yNvu33HY4v
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) February 23, 2026
He tried to justify his claim that Michigan should be ranked ahead of Duke by saying that the Wolverines would be the Blue Devils in a seven-game series, but even Norlander had to say that "thankfully they don't in college basketball."
He's right about one thing at least: this isn't the NBA, and they don't play seven-game series, so that argument is an entirely moot point.
Also read: Jon Scheyer is tired of hearing Duke can't finish games and shut narrative down in best way possible
Duke beat Michigan, that's it, end of story. The Blue Devils deserve to be ranked ahead of the Wolverines and ahead of everyone else in the country. Arizona deserves to be ranked No. 2, and Michigan is right where it should be: in Duke's old spot.