No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (23-1, 13-0 Big Ten) narrowly maintained its undefeated conference record, defeating then-No. 8 Michigan (20-4, 11-2) 69-66 on the road in Ann Arbor.

This post was updated Feb. 9 at 12:22 a.m.
Bubblegum, bubblegum, in a dish.
Five seconds, four, three, two – shoot.

Miss.

Wolverine guard Syla Swords ran to the perimeter in the bright, magenta shoes every player was wearing as part of Michigan’s Pink Game on Sunday.

The favorite, the underdog, the anti-hero and the villain.
Expectations and perception shape archetypes.
But what happens when the hype is so high that the best-case scenario is simply meeting expectations?

No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (22-1, 12-0 Big Ten) will face No. 8 Michigan (20-3, 11-1) in a showdown between the conference’s top-two teams Sunday. UCLA is on a 16-game win streak – the team has not lost since its Nov.

This post was updated Feb. 5 at 11:54 p.m.
With time counting down on the shot clock in the opening possession, senior guard Kiki Rice launched a step-back 3-pointer that flew out-of-bounds. 
Rutgers forward Faith Blackstone responded less than 10 seconds later with a banked 3 – giving the Scarlet Knights a 3-0 lead.

This post was updated Feb. 1 at 9:16 p.m.
The backboard flashed red as graduate student Gianna Kneepkens’ deep shot hung in the air.
As the ball fell comfortably through the net, a roar engulfed the sea of blue – speckled with Hawkeye gold – that filled the stands of Pauley Pavilion. 
Kneepkens’ buzzer-beating 3-pointer sent the Bruins into halftime with a double-digit lead they never relinquished, powering No.

No. 2 UCLA women’s basketball (20-1, 10-0 Big Ten) will face No. 8 Iowa (18-3, 9-1) at Pauley Pavilion on Sunday in its second top-10 matchup of the season.