UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Complete Recap of Bruins' Loss To Michigan

Our latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast recaps the Bruins' second-straight loss as they fall to the Michigan Wolverines at Pauley Pavilion. It marks the first home loss of the season for the Bruins.

Jan 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Tre Donaldson (3) shoots the ball in the second half against the UCLA Bruins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins dropped their Tuesday night home matchup to a very strong No. 24 Michigan Wolverines (12-3) team that simply could not miss the entire game. The Bruins made a few runs in the second half to come back, but ultimately fell to the Wolverines, 94-75.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down the Bruins' disappointing home loss to the Wolverines, snapping their eight-game home winning streak to start the season. The Bruins are now 2-2 in Big Ten play.

You can watch the episode below:

It was just the Wolverines night at Pauley Pavilion as they made an incredible number of shots, dominating for a large majority of the game. An 18-point lead in the first half would vanish midway through the second as the Bruins made a comeback, but the Wolverines finished on a 40-18 run.

UCLA struggled in all areas of scoring on Tuesday night, shooting just 41.7% from the field on 25-60 shooting. It was downright pitiful from 3-point range, going 2-20 from downtown for a 10% mark. It also missed 11 free throws after going to the line 34 times.

On the opposite side, the Wolverines made 61.5% of their total shots, hitting 15 3-pointers for 53.6% from beyond the arc. Michigan senior center Vlad Goldin posted a career-high 36 points while junior guard Tre Donaldson also posted a career-high with 20 points.

Individually for the Bruins, they had four players that scored in double figures despite the loss. Analyzing past contests, UCLA finds a way to win when they have multiple guys delivering 10 or more points, but against a Wolverine team that could not miss was just too overwhelming.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau and sophomore guard Sebastian Mack led the team with 17 points apiece while sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. provided 13 points and senior guard Kobe Johnson chipped in with 12. Despite the three-point shooting woes, the Bruins did not play terrible offensively.

UCLA will wipe the slate clean after back-to-back losses and move on to their Friday night road battle with the Maryland Terrapins (11-4), another very strong teams within the Big Ten. The Bruins absolutely must find a way to shoot the ball better from deep while making more free throws.

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