No. 2 Michigan faces UCLA Saturday on CBS in a clash of Big Ten foes. This will be the 13th matchup between Michigan and UCLA since the turn of the century, with both programs having six wins against each other during that stretch.
The Wolverines (23-1) are off to their best 24-game start in school history, but are coming off an upset scare against Northwestern. Michigan trailed by as many as 16 points on the road before storming back in the second half to seal an 87-75 win over the Wildcats. Michigan’s lone loss came against Wisconsin last month at home.
UCLA has won five of its last six games after starting 4-3 in Big Ten play. The Bruins are coming off a 77-73 win over Washington after guard Trent Perry dropped 23 points. UCLA heads into the weekend 3.5 games back of Michigan in the Big Ten standings.
The Wolverines hold a 2.0-game lead over Illinois for first place.
Michigan vs. UCLA: Need to know
Michigan could make race for No. 1 interesting: Michigan is the projected No. 1 overall seed in CBS Sports’ latest Bracketology projections. The Wolverines jumped to No. 1 overall after Arizona lost to Kansas earlier this week. With Arizona dropping its first game of the season, the AP Top 25 poll on Monday should be interesting. Arizona has been the consensus top-ranked team for several weeks. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Michigan get some consideration for No. 1.
Can UCLA get Donovan Dent going? The key to a potential upset for UCLA will be Dent. The former New Mexico star has had an up-and-down season with the Bruins after transferring in last offseason. Dent is having one of his best stretches at UCLA after recording at least 10 assists in three consecutive games. He played all 40 minutes against Washington and finished with 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Aday Mara faces his old team: A storyline to monitor will be Mara, who played the first two seasons of his career at UCLA, facing his old team. Mara played limited minutes under coach Mick Cronin at UCLA but has found a consistent role with the Wolverines. Michigan coach Dusty May has routinely deployed two-big lineups in his rotation. With Mara assuming a more prominent role, he has become one of the nation’s best defensive players.
Where to watch Michigan vs. UCLA live
Date: Saturday, Feb. 14 | Time: 12:45 p.m. ETLocation: Crisler Center — Ann Arbor, Michigan TV: CBS | Live stream: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports AppStreaming on Paramount+ Premium
Michigan vs. UCLA prediction, pick
For the first 30 minutes of game time against Northwestern, Michigan looked vulnerable. Then, the Wolverines flipped the switch and looked like the team ranked No. 2 in the country. This game will be a tougher challenge for Michigan than its last matchup against Northwestern. Still, I expect Mara to have a big game against his old team and star forward Yaxel Lendeborg to have a bounce-back performance on offense after scoring just 35 points total in his last three games. Pick: Michigan -15.5
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