Through the first chunk of the Big Ten season, Michigan basketball has lost its identity.
It seems like a different season but for most of the nonconference schedule Michigan was one of the best defensive teams in the country. It rode that grit to impressive wins against Marquette and Southern Methodist at the Garden.
Michigan was a second half-collapse away from adding ranked Virginia Tech to that list of quality nonconference wins.
Then UCLA happened. The Wolverines shot a blistering 65 percent from the field in the first half, including an eye-popping 75 percent from behind the arc.