UCLA was giving Michigan basketball a scare in the first 20 minutes, but got pressed expeditiously in the second. As a result, Michigan has a clear argument to be ranked at the top of the polls come Monday. They sent the Bruins weeping over to East Lansing fresh off their worst loss of the season.
Here are three of the takeaways from Saturday's midday matinee win (86-56).
UCLA and USC lost to Michigan by a combined 60 points in 2026
Since joining the Big Ten in 2024, Michigan basketball has not lost to any of the former Pac-12 schools. The closest game was a win against Oregon last season in the Crisler Center. On Saturday, Michigan shot 62% from the field, but its defense was relentless in the second half. UCLA only scored 18 points and was held to a season low in points. Mick Cronin will surely have a lot to complain about in the postgame scrum.
It's time for another Dusty May extension
51 wins in 62 games is truly remarkable. In less than two years, May is on the doorstep of coaching the number one team in the country. That makes him worthy of a Curt Cignetti-type extension to keep him around in Ann Arbor for as long as possible. About half of Michigan's wins are by 18 or more, and they've already matched last year's Big Ten win total. With every win that elapses, Michigan basketball expands on its journey to unchartered territory.
Fun fact: If Michigan was only allowed to count its double-digit wins as wins and all of its single-digit wins had to be treated as losses, the Wolverines would still be in first place in the Big Ten.
— Scott Bell (@sbell021) February 14, 2026
How fitting would it be for Michigan to clinch the Big Ten title in Champaign
Looking past Purdue and Minnesota for a second, Michigan will have a chance to claim the Big Ten championship at Illinois in the last game of February, if things go according to planned. The school that they haven't beaten since the John Beilein era could be the last one standing in the way of Michigan and the conference crown. As wonderful as that sounds, they have to go through Purdue first, then Duke to prove to the world that they are the favorites to win it all in April.