Move over Fab 5

Good morning! It was a relatively quiet night in college hoops, but that’ll change with a marquee matchup tonight, and a fun weekend ahead.

Let's get to the news.

1. Michigan’s monster season now historic

Michigan’s rich basketball history includes a national title, eight Final Four appearances, and the the Fab 5. But none of those teams had accomplished what the 2025-26 Wolverines did on Thursday night.

And that’s the best start in program history.

After struggling against Penn State in their first go-around, Michigan wasted no time with them at home in Round 2. A 15-2 run to start the game led to a 56-24 halftime lead for the No. 2 team in the country, before coasting to a 110-69 victory.

There were five double-digit scorers, led by a career-high 31 points from Nimari Burnett. The Wolverines scored 1.54 points per possession, which was its best Big Ten scoring output in KenPom’s database, and third-highest all-time in league play.

The win gives Michigan a 21-1 overall record (and 11-1 in the Big Ten), which is the first 22-1 start for the Maize and Blue.

If it wasn’t for unbeaten Arizona, the Wolverines would be the No. 1 team in the nation, but still might be the favorite to win it all in March. They might not be tested for another couple weeks — it plays at Ohio State and Northwestern, then hosts UCLA before playing at Purdue on Feb. 17 — but it’ll be a popular pick next month.

2. West Virginia, Ohio State log key bubble wins

Speaking of the NCAA Tournament, there were only a handful of teams in action Thursday night that saw their NCAA Tournament hopes rise and fall. And West Virginia’s 59-54 win at Cincinnati was the most notable, mostly for what it might indicate for Bearcats coach Wes Miller.

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