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The weekend in college hoops
Illinois, Michigan assert control in Big Ten, while Kansas holds court vs. BYU. Plus: Kentucky, UCF, Indiana all get big wins, Arizona and Miami (Ohio) stay unbeaten, and much more.
Samuel Lance
February 02, 2026
Good morning! Another week, and it’ll be that time of year when everyone starts to really pay attention to college basketball. But you’re ahead of the curve. You already read the Daily.
And if you just stumbled across this? Well, hit that button.
Let’s get to all the news from the last three days.
1. Big Ten race takes shape after bookend weekend
Before this weekend, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska all sat atop the Big Ten with a 9-1 conference record. About 72 hours later after two games between Top 10 teams, the logjam is down to two teams atop the league.
In East Lansing on Friday, No. 3 Michigan controlled the game from the jump, leading for nearly 37 minutes to beat No. 7 Michigan State, 83-71. Yaxel Lendeborg was the star with 26 points and 12 rebounds, but Elliot Cadeau had the biggest shot of the game, draining a 3-pointer with 3:08 left to give Michigan a six point lead.
The Wolverines didn’t look back from there, and as coach Dusty May mentioned postgame, Michigan (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) continues to prove it can win in multiple ways. Earlier in the year, it was offense. Lately the Wolverines have leaned on their defense.
Michigan State (19-3, 9-2) has another massive matchup coming this weekend when it hosts Illinois. Speaking of which …
As for the other Big Ten battle, No. 9 Illinois made a statement by defeating No. 5 Nebraska in Pinnacle Bank Arena, 78-69. Keaton Wagler had another monster game with 28 points and helped Illinois move to 6-0 in Big Ten road games for the first time since 2004-05.
It was the first time Nebraska (20-2, 9-2) has lost at home all season. It’s also back-to-back losses for a team that started the season 20-0.
That team made it to the national title game, and with the way Illinois (19-3, 10-1) is playing lately, it could make it there as well. And what it would it take?
“Chemistry and connectivity,” coach Brad Underwood said. “Just the communication… We’ve made huge strides there and we’re competing on every play.”
If this weekend told us anything, the Big Ten race is going to be a movie. Grab your popcorn.
2. Kentucky, Indiana, UCF all pick up big wins
Every win in conference play is crucial. But some can leave a lasting impact. We’ll see if three victories from Saturday do just that.
