Michigan vs. UCLA prediction, pick, odds, spread, where to watch live
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 the two programs posting six wins against each other during that stretch.
The Wolverines (23-1) are off to their best start in 24 games in school history, but are coming off a scare against Northwestern. Michigan trailed by 16 points on the road before storming back in the second half to seal an 87-75 win over the Wildcats. Michigan’s only loss came against Wisconsin last month at home.
UCLA has won five of its last six games after starting 4-3 in the Big Ten. The Bruins are coming off a 77-73 victory over Washington after guard Trent Perry dropped 23 points. UCLA heads into the weekend 3.5 games behind 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 the race for No. 1 interesting: Michigan is the projected No. 1 seed in the latest Bracketology projections from CBS Sports. The Wolverines moved up to No. 1 overall following Arizona’s loss to Kansas earlier this week. With Arizona losing its first game of the season, Monday’s AP Top 25 poll 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 start Donovan Dent? The key to a possible upset for UCLA will be Dent. The former New Mexico star had an up-and-down season with the Bruins after transferring last offseason. Dent is having one of his best streaks at UCLA after recording at least 10 assists in three straight games. He played all 40 minutes against Washington and finished with 17 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.
Aday Mara faces his former team: One storyline to watch will be Mara, who played the first two seasons of his career at UCLA, against his former team. Mara played limited minutes under coach Mick Cronin at UCLA, but found a consistent role with the Wolverines. Michigan coach Dusty May has regularly deployed two big lineups in his rotation. With Mara taking on a larger role, he became one of the best defensive players in the country.
Where to watch Michigan vs. UCLA live
Date: Saturday February 14 | Time: 12:45 p.m. ET
Location: Crisler Center – Ann Arbor, Michigan
TV: CBS | Live broadcast: CBSSports.com, CBS Sports app
Broadcast on Paramount+ Premium
Michigan vs. UCLA prediction, picks
For the first 30 minutes of the game against Northwestern, Michigan looked vulnerable. Then the Wolverines flipped the switch and looked like they were the No. 2 ranked team in the country. This game will be a tougher challenge for Michigan than its last game against Northwestern. Still, I expect Mara to have a big game against his former team and star forward Yaxel Lendeborg to have a bounce-back performance on offense after scoring just 35 total points in his last three games. Pick: Michigan -15.5
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