ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Riding a pair of top-10 wins last week, the No. 2-ranked Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team (20-1, 10-1 Big Ten) returns to a sold-out Crisler Center for its annual Pink Game.
The Wolverines host Penn State (10-12, 1-10 Big Ten) on Thursday, Feb. 5, with tipoff set for 6:30 p.m.
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Michigan’s first week of February features two return games.
After hosting Penn State on Thursday, the Wolverines will travel to Columbus on Sunday, Feb. 8, to face Ohio State at Value City Arena.
In their first meeting earlier this season, Michigan built a 13-point second-half lead but had to hold off a late Nittany Lions push to secure a 74-72 road win.
L.J. Cason came off the bench to tie his career high with 14 points, all in the first half, while Nimari Burnettand Trey McKenney each added 12 points.
Penn State was without star freshman guard Kayden Mingo in that game due to a broken nose sustained in practice.
Mingo averages a team-best 14.1 points, along with 3.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.
Michigan holds a 41-17 all-time record against Penn State, including a 24-3 mark at Crisler Arena.
However, the Wolverines are 5-5 over the last 10 meetings. Michigan has won 10 of the last 11 games against Penn State at Crisler, with Penn State’s last win coming on Jan. 22, 2019 (72-63).
Following a home loss to Wisconsin that snapped Michigan’s season-opening 14-game winning streak, the Wolverines have won six straight games, highlighted by back-to-back top-10 victories.
Last week, Michigan snapped No. 5 Nebraska’s 24-game win streak with a late 75-72 rally win, then earned its first win in East Lansing in eight years with an 83-71 victory at No. 7 Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan continues to build one of the most dominant seasons in program history, with 16 wins by 10 or more points, 10 by 20 or more, eight by 30 or more, six by 40 or more (a Big Ten record), and one by 50 or more (a 102-50 win over La Salle).
The Wolverines’ 20-1 start matches the best 21-game record in program history, equaling the 2013 and 2019 teams, both of which reached 20-1 before their second loss.
Michigan has won 20 or more games for the second straight season under coach Dusty May and for the 33rd time in program history.
With 10 Big Ten wins this season, the Wolverines have recorded 10 or more conference victories in 13 of the last 15 seasons, compiling a 169-105 record.
Michigan faces a road-heavy end to its regular season, with six of its final 10 games played away from Ann Arbor, including a bye-week game against Duke in Washington, D.C.