Here’s How UCLA Can Upend No. 15 Spartans

Beating MSU on road will be a challenge, but there is a way the game can be won.

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines guard Nimari Burnett (4) dribbles on UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) in the first half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Bruins were just routed by the #2 ranked Michigan Wolverines in a game that could have changed their season for the better, but instead left a bad taste in the mouth of UCLA.

The team now has some wounds from earlier in the season that have been reopened, and will have very little time to prepare for their next game against another behemoth: the #15 ranked Michigan State Spartans.

A win against the Spartans will be what UCLA needs to get back on track, and although they will need to play well everywhere, the Bruins biggest avenue for success will be through defense in the paint.

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin calls a play the second half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Why Defense In The Paint?

• The Wolverines were huge from beyond the arc, and UCLA focused intensely on that aspect of defense, letting almost everything in through the paint.

• Against teams that have bigs like Michigan the paint cannot be disregarded, and the same is the case with Michigan State who have two threatening bigs in Jaxon Kohler and Carson Cooper.

• With those two threats on the court the paint cannot be disregarded, which might mean that the three point line gets left out on defense at times, but that is much less risky than letting two points up almost every possession.

• On top of the defensive staples in the paint, being Xavier Booker and Eric Dailey Jr., the Bruins will need to jam another player in there to put a stop to MSU's big men, and their secret weapon.

Michigan State's Jaxon Kohler, left, and Coen Carr, right, pressure Illinois' David Mirkovic on a shot during the second half on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at the Breslin Center in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Secret Weapon In The Paint For MSU: Coen Carr

• Coen Carr may not be a secret weapon by conventional standards, but he is the player that has shown up across the season when his opponents expect him the least, and they have to pay for it.

• Carr's great nights as a high-level dunking machine have the capability to end the Bruins night before it even gets started, and minimizing his impact will be the one of the biggest keys of the game.

• Pushing him out to the three point line would even be better than letting him thrive in the paint, as he only makes 27% of his three point attempts according to his shooting statistics this year.

Overall, protecting the three point line will still be essential to winning the match against MSU as it always is, but winning in the paint will be even bigger and give UCLA the chance to pull off another great upset.

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