The No. 2 UCLA Bruins narrowly avoided an upset on Sunday, surviving No. 8 Michigan 69-66 to extend their winning streak to 17 straight games — and strengthen their grip atop the 2025/26 Big Ten basketball table.
UCLA center Lauren Betts ran the court with 16 points, 16 rebounds, and five assists, while guard Kiki Rice put up a team-leading 20 points in the win.
Despite 16 forced turnovers and a strong fourth-quarter rally, Michigan sophomore guard Syla Swords air-balled a potentially game-tying buzzer-beater to seal the deal.
The Bruins haven't dropped a game since a late November loss to No. 4 Texas, as UCLA's size advantage — namely 6-foot-7 Betts and 6-foot-4 Angela Dugalić, who post a combined 13.3 rebounds per game — continues to wear down opponents.
"[The Wolverines] were playing really aggressively with us, so I was like, 'Why don't we do the same thing back?'" Betts said on Sunday. "Once we started rebounding and locking in on taking away their best players… that was just really important for us."
How to watch UCLA, Michigan in this week's NCAA basketball action
No. 2 UCLA will visit No. 12 Michigan State at 8 PM ET on Wednesday, before No. 8 Michigan hunts a bounce-back win against unranked Northwestern at 9 PM ET on Thursday.
Both Big Ten games will air live on Peacock.
