How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: #2 UCLA Bruins at #8/7 Michigan Wolverines
Today may be Super Bowl Sunday, but the Bruins are on the undercard with a Noon PT matchhup against #8/7 Michigan on the road.
Today is Super Bowl Sunday, the biggest sports day of the year. I remember when I was a student and it seemed like the Bruin men’s basketball team always played Notre Dame on Super Bowl Sunday. Well, today, we have what should be a heck of a women’s basketball game to whet your palate before Super Bowl LX kicks off at 3:30 pm PT.
That’s because the #2 UCLA women’s basketball team is visiting the #8/7 Michigan Wolverines today. Tip-off is scheduled for Noon PT. So, it should be over in plenty of time to catch kick-off. Today’s UCLA women’s basketball game will be broadcast on Fox with Jason Benetti and Christy Winters Scott calling the game.
Since taking over as the Michigan women’s basketball head coach for the 2012-13 season, Kim Barnes Arico’s record has been impressive. She has consistently won at least 20 games every season she’s been in Ann Arbor except one. That one was the 2020-21 season, when Michigan played just 22 games because of COVID. She already has the Wolverines at 20 wins this season as well, despite the fact that they have only played 23 games. Her teams have made the NCAA tournament in each of the last seven seasons where the tournament was played.
All this is to explain that Arico has built Michigan into a winning program.
The Wolverines have started the same lineup, consisting of four guards and a forward, for their past seven games. Let’s look at the probable starting lineup for Michigan.
Michigan Wolverines’ Starting Five
Michigan’s starting lineup begins with guard Olivia Olson. The 6’1” sophomore leads the Wolverines with an average off 18.8 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Olson is second on the team in steals with 43. If she has a weakness, it’s her three-point shooting. She is only shooting 29.2% from beyond the arc.
Sophomore guard Syla Swords is second on the Wolverines in scoring with an average of 14.3 ppg. She’s shooting 35.3% from long range, which gives her the second-best three-point percentage amongst the starters. More importantly, she has attempted more threes than any other player on the Michigan roster.
Mila Holloway is the third sophomore guard in the starting lineup. While she is averaging 13.0 ppg, she leads the Wolverines in assists with 106. Her 36.5% three-point percentage is the highest amongst the starters, though she has only attempted 85 threes, which is 68 fewer than Swords.
The final starting guard is senior Brooke Quarles Daniels. Daniels is averaging just 6.3 ppg. She leads the team with 54 steals and she is averaging 5.4 rpg, which ranks her second behind Olson.
The final starter for Michigan will be forward Ashley Sofilkanich. The junior from South Amboy, New Jersey is averaging 8.7 ppg and she leads the team in blocks with 21.
Off the bench, look for Te'Yala Delfosse to be one of the first Wolverines off the bench. Against Nebraska, she only scored three points, though she only played about 11 minutes against thhe Huskers. She is averaging 10.2 ppg.
The next woman off the bench will be former Bruin Kendall Dudley. Dudley is averaging 6.2 ppg and 17.8 minutes per game.
Last Time Out
Michigan last played Nebraska on Wednesday and the Wolverines defeated the Huskers at home, 88-76. Swords led Michigan with 28 points and Olson added 21. Olson also grabbed ten rebounds for a double-double.
Meanwhile, the Bruins dismantled Rutgers at home on Wednesday by a score of 86-46. The game started well enough for the Scarlet Knights. They made a three-pointer for the first points of the game, but then Lauren Betts started a 19-point run for the Bruins. At the end of the first quarter, UCLA led 26-6.
The second quarter was much closer, but the Bruins still added a point to their lead and led 40-19 at the break.
The big moment of the third came with UCLA up, 45-21. That’s when Charlisse Leger-Walker hit a three to give the Bruins 48 points. That means that three was the eventual game winner. UCLA added another 20 points in the final 7:43 of the third and the Bruins led 68-27 after three.
UCLA was actually outscored 19-18 in the fourth quarter, but thankfully, Cori Close had decided to empty her bench. Four different bench players played at least 20 minutes or more.
Five Bruins finished the game in double figures. Kiki Rice led UCLA with 17 points while Gabriela Jacquez added 14. Leger-Walker and both Lauren and Sienna Betts each contributed 11 points.
Analysis
Today’s game will be tough because the Bruins are playing a Top Ten opponent on the road. The Wolverines have won five straight and last lost to #5 Vanderbilt at home on January 19th.
As a result of today’s game being a road game, this game should be much closer than it would be if the game were to be played in Pauley.
It’s also not out of the realm of possibility that the Bruins could lose this game. While I think it’s unlikely, it’s a very real possibility. If the Bruins play up to their standard, then they should win easily.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
In addition to being broadcast on Fox with Justin Benetti and Christy Winters Scott on the call, today’s game will be streamed on FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app. Of course, you can opt to listen to Dave Marcus with the audio call which will be streamed on uclabruins.com. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your #2 UCLA women’s basketball at the #8/7 Michigan Wolverines game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream today’s game:
#2 UCLA Women’s Basketball (22-1, 12-0)
Opponent: #8/7 Michigan Wolverines (20-3, 11-1)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 5-0.
When: 12:00 pm PT, Sunday, February 8, 2026
Where: Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, MI
TV: Fox with Justin Benetti, Christy Winters Scott
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports App
Radio/Audio
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 162 and XM Ch. 196 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com with Dave Marcus
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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This team has a lot of bad habits that aren’t going to kill them during the season because they’re so much better than their opponents, but spell trouble come tourney time.
2 more homers by Woolery and Alejandre. UCLA up 5-0, still no outs in the 1st.