No. 2 Michigan survives with heart-attack inducing win over Penn State

Penn State nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the 2025-26 college basketball season so far on Tuesday. 

The key word? Nearly, as No. 2 Michigan (14-0, 4-0 Big Ten) survived a valiant effort from the Nittany Lions to take a 74-72 win back to Ann Arbor. The Wolverines are one of only six undefeated teams left in college basketball in the early stages of conference play. 

Penn State entered Tuesday's game as a 22.5-point underdog, but it only trailed by nine at halftime. And as the second half went along, PSU continued to chip away, even after trailing by as many as 15. 

The Nittany Lions got UM's lead down to one with 1:04 to play, but they failed to capitalize on their final two offensive possessions of the game. Down 74-72 in the closing seconds, Penn State's Freddie Dilione V appeared to lose track of the clock and was forced to heave an ill-fated three at the horn that did not go down.