UCLA men’s basketball (17-8, 9-5 Big Ten) suffered its worst loss of the season to then-No. 2 Michigan (24-1, 14-1) on Saturday at the Crisler Center in Ann Arbor, falling 86-56 despite trailing 40-38 at halftime. The Bruins’ offensive output was the lowest of the season, and the loss pushed them to 2-6 in Quad One games. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger gives his five main takeaways from the Bruins’ first game of two in the Mitten State.

Second half destruction

UCLA looked like an Elite Eight team in the final 10 minutes of the first half.

The Bruins – who trailed by 10 with 11:14 left in the first half – cut the deficit to two points going into intermission, trailing 40-38.

They had two chances to take the lead if junior forward/center Xavier Booker had hit one of his two 3-pointer attempts. But Booker’s wide-open misses were just a microcosm of what was bound to happen in the second frame.

UCLA was outscored 46-18 in the second half alone, allowing Michigan to shoot 18-for-23 from the field and 4-for-6 from deep. The Bruins defense looked to be the worst it had been all season, allowing easy layups, dunks and wide-open shots from deep. Switches were slow, contests were delayed and there seemed to be no defensive ownership.

And coach Mick Cronin took notice.

“They shot 78% – the worst of my career – and I don’t have to look it up, I can promise you that,” Cronin said after the 30-point blowout. “And it’s not like I forgot how to coach defense. Now, they’re really good, but I’d be really good too if I were shooting layups.”

But a lack of defensive accountability was not the only problem.

The Bruins could not buy a bucket on the offensive end. They shot 25.9% from the field and just 1-for-10 from deep. The Wolverines are the top-ranked defensive team in the country, but it was a combination of tenacious defense and abysmal offense that led to the Bruins’ offensive demise.

“We were awful in the second half,” Cronin said. “We were God-awful. We missed eight unguarded 3s. If you’re going to come in here and win, you’ve got to score. That said, we’ve got some guys that won’t pass the ball – that’s frustrating. We have some guys who have no interest.”

There is no beating around the bush.

That was the Bruins’ worst second-half performance this season.

And it showed on the scoreboard.

A disappearance of stars

When the Bruins needed them most, their best players vanished.

Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, senior guard Donovan Dent and junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. combined for 10-for-29 shooting from the field and 23 combined points.

Bilodeau’s 10 points were his fewest since UCLA beat Maryland on Jan. 10, and his 33.3% field goal percentage was his lowest shooting mark since UCLA beat Sacramento State on Nov. 18.

The Bruins’ leading scorer failed to score a single point in the second half, going 0-for-3 from the field.

Dent also netted just 10 points – his lowest since UCLA beat Penn State on Jan. 14 – on 5-for-12 shooting from the field.

But he struggled most with facilitation.

Dent garnered four assists to five turnovers despite dishing out 54 assists to eight turnovers across the last six games.

Dailey scored just three points, knocking in one basket – his lowest total since scoring two against Penn State on Jan. 14. While the junior played just 14 minutes due to foul trouble, he was not effective in a game UCLA needed him on both ends of the court.

The Bruins’ best players are going to have to perform when the lights are brightest if they are going to do anything in the Big Ten tournament or March Madness.

But almost everything seemed dim against Michigan.

The light at the end of the tunnel

Trent Perry continued to put together a stellar sophomore campaign.

The sophomore guard looked to be the only Bruin who bought into winning against Michigan. Perry paced the Bruins in scoring, knocking in five of his nine shots for 14 points while also grabbing four rebounds and a steal.

Perry has scored single-digits on just two occasions across 14 games since Dec. 19. Perry has looked like one of the most efficient and impactful players on both ends of the court since the new year and will likely be the Bruins’ X-factor going forward.

His jumper has improved tremendously. The West Covina, California, local looks to be the most confident he has ever been in a UCLA uniform, comfortably shooting pull-up jumpers off the dribble, catch-and-shoot 3-pointers from anywhere around the arc and slashing to the paint while seeking contact on rim finishes.

Cronin said lineup changes would be made in the coming days, and it is yet to be seen how it will affect Perry.

“I’ve addressed it all year, and it will be addressed with one lineup change, maybe more,” Cronin said. “I’m searching for guys that will play for the team and not for stats.”

With senior guard Skyy Clark returning and Cronin’s allusion, Perry has to be in every starting lineup going forward and needs to play substantial minutes for the Bruins to compete come March.

Skyy has returned

Clark returned to the hardwood after missing 10 consecutive games due to a hamstring injury sustained on Jan. 3 against Iowa.

And all things considered, Clark produced in his first return to action in over a month.

He played just 16 minutes – due to a minutes restriction put on by the coaching staff – but in that short time, Clark scored eight points on 2-for-4 shooting from the field, including two converted 3-pointers, to go along with an assist.

Clark did not look to be himself on the court in terms of defensive tenacity and athleticism, but he is also recovering from a monthlong injury.

The Bruins need Clark desperately, and they will need him at full strength if they want any chance of competing in the long run.

And with matchups against Michigan State, Illinois, USC and Nebraska on the horizon, UCLA may need him sooner than he – or Cronin – probably would like.

Aday Mara

It felt different every time Aday Mara scored.

Everyone knew that the former Bruins center’s return to the hardwood against UCLA would be an interesting sight given his controversial exit, the two years he spent in Westwood and the conference foe he joined.

And Mara’s revenge game against the Bruins unfolded like most thought it would.

Mara dominated every facet of the game, scoring nine points, grabbing eight rebounds and adding three blocks and three assists.

Every Mara contribution felt like a stab in the heart to the Bruin faithful as his dominance not only reminded the Bruins of what they lost but also further exposed their gaping hole at center.

And Mara’s reverse alley-oop slam only punctuated all of the feelings that UCLA and its fans were feeling

As Mara’s smile grew, all of Westwood’s disappointments swelled.