The new year usually brings new things.

For some, that means fresh habits or the latest trends, but for the Bruins, it means new conference opponents.

Coming off its first Big Ten loss of the season against Nebraska Saturday, No. 22 UCLA men’s basketball (11-3, 2-1 Big Ten) will face No. 24 Michigan (11-3, 3-0) on Tuesday night in Pauley Pavilion. The Bruins will return to Westwood after posting one of their worst shooting performances of the campaign – logging a 38.6% clip from the field and 14.3% from deep in Lincoln, Nebraska.

“I know there are some things defensively that I’m upset with,” coach Mick Cronin said. “Offensively, the turnovers are what bother me. They (the Cornhuskers) don’t press. The turnovers are what bother me. That’s what really gets you beat at the end of the day, and when you shoot it this, poor you cannot turn it over.”

The Bruins were without Eric Dailey Jr. against Nebraska, as the sophomore guard/forward suffered a face injury in the early minutes of UCLA’s affair with North Carolina Dec. 21. The team’s second-leading scorer averages 11.4 points and 4.6 rebounds on a 54.5% field goal percentage and 48.4% 3-point percentage.

Junior forward William Kyle III – who has often served as junior forward Tyler Bilodeau’s backup – was also out of the Bruins’ matchup Saturday.

Both Dailey and Kyle’s – who each stand at 6-foot-8 or taller – availabilities could be crucial to Tuesday night’s showdown as the Wolverines’ height may prove to be the Bruins’ Achilles heel. Two of Michigan’s top three scorers, forward/center Danny Wolf and center Vladislav Goldin, stand at 7-foot and 7-foot-1, respectively. The former, a Yale transfer, averages a team-leading 10.4 rebounds to complement his 12.5 points per game. The latter, a transfer from Florida Atlantic who followed coach Dusty May, posts 13.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.

With two seven-footers to step onto the hardwood Tuesday night, Cronin may turn to 7-foot-3 Aday Mara to help mitigate the height disadvantage. While the sophomore center has averaged just 9.8 minutes per game, he has shown promise when given the opportunity – garnering 4.8 points and 3.6 rebounds on 62.8% shooting from the field.

“Aday developed a lot,” said senior guard Lazar Stefanovic. “He is much stronger, he is more mature. … There is just not enough good things I can say about him. He is doing a better job of also being ready when he comes in, when he is on the bench. … We need good minutes from him every game, and he has been able to give that to us.”

The Wolverines’ dominance in the paint has spurred them to a 51.3% field goal percentage, good enough for fourth in the nation. However, defensive tenacity has appeared to be the Bruins’ biggest asset – ranking fifth in the country with 17.8 turnovers forced per game and seventh in turnover margin at 6.1 per game.

Though the top-ranked Bruin defense may be imposing, all five of the Wolverines’ starters are averaging double-digit points, with guards Tre Donaldson, Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. averaging 12.6, 10.1 and 12.4, respectively. However, there is less depth to Michigan’s roster, with no bench player averaging more than seven points per game.

All three of Michigan’s losses came down to the wire, losing each game by one possession.

“It is going to be hard to walk away with a double-digit win frequently, so having those games where we learn how to win when it’s crunch time, and we really need to tighten up because it is only going to help us going on,” said junior guard Skyy Clark.