Takeaways From Michigan Basketball's Dominant Win Over UCLA

The No. 2 ranked Wolverines returned to Ann Arbor after a close win over Northwestern to take on UCLA. The Bruins, who were looking to add another impressive win to their resume, gave Michigan all it wanted in the first half.

Michigan found itself up by 11 points with 2:39 left in the first half before UCLA made a major comeback. The Bruins went on a seven-point run to finish the first half and the Wolverines entered halftime up 40-38.

But the second half was a totally different story. The Wolverines would hit nine-straight buckets in the second half, and Michigan turned the aggressiveness to 100. Michigan would find itself up 20 points under five minutes to play and the Bruins had no answer for the Wolverines.

Following Michigan's 86-56 win over UCLA, here are three takeaways.

Yaxel Lendeborg played like the Player of the Year

Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) dribbles on UCLA Bruins guard Brandon Williams. — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The UAB transfer continues to stuff the stat sheet and he's showing the nation why he was the most coveted transfer this past cycle. Michigan has a lot of good basketball players, but Yaxel Lendeborg's game is on a different level when he's locked in.

During the telecast, CBS announcer Ian Eagle noted that 'the upside is considerable' when Lendeborg knocked down a three. Lendeborg's 17 points against the Bruins gives him double-digit points in each of the last seven of eight games he's played.

But not only did Lendeborg score the rock, but he was aggressive on the defensive end of the court and was Michigan's best rebounder. It was an all-around effort for Lendeborg and he's showing why he is in contention to win Player of the Year.

LJ Cason continues to impress

Michigan Wolverines guard L.J. Cason (2) dribbles on UCLA Bruins guard Jamar Brown. — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

You obviously don't take out Elliot Cadeau or Nimari Burnett out of the starting lineup, but LJ Cason is making it hard to take him off the court once he comes in off the bench. In Cason's previous three games — entering Saturday against UCLA — he has been a big spark off the bench, scoring 12, 8, and 18 points, respectively.

Cason continued his spark on Saturday. The sophomore guard scored 13 points for the Wolverines and while he has never lacked confidence, Cason continues to improve and his game has gone up to a new level.

Not only is Cason big for Michigan's bench, the Wolverines also aren't losing any scoring power when Burnett has to leave the game. Also, Cason has been getting better at right the point behind Cadeau, which makes it even easier to keep Cason in the game.

Michigan was uncharacteristically bad on the glass

Michigan Wolverines center Aday Mara (15) and UCLA Bruins guard Jamar Brown. — Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Michigan entered the game as the Big Ten's best rebounding team, averaging 42 per game, and UCLA was one of the worst teams in the country on the boards. But the Bruins worked the Wolverines on the glass and had 13 offensive rebounds alone. With how well UCLA did on the glass, the Bruins had 18 second chance points.

Aday Mara's revenge game didn't go as planned in the first half, but did score nine points, and he was serviceable, getting eight boards. Morez Johnson didn't have a rebound in the first half, and the Bruins just wanted it more when it came to effort on the glass.

It's hard to nitpick too much with Michigan's big win, but rebounding was definitely the Wolverines' biggest issue against UCLA.