In Reply to: I haven't seen a lot of Mara this year, posted by ej on February 13, 2026 at 07:49:08
that just normal player improvement. It puts him close to the top 1% of all D1 players. And yet, he's only #3 on his team, which is what makes Michigan such a problem.
I agree Michigan isn't demanding the same level of defensive and rebounding excellence from Mara that UCLA would have needed. The Bruins certainly would have been better off with him than they are without him.
We'll probably never know what exactly led to the split. Could have been money. Could have been a more complementary and less demanding role on the Wolverines. Could be Mara likes the tapas at Aventura in Ann Arbor more than anything he could get in L.A. (I doubt it but excellent Mexican food does seem to overshadow Spanish around here). Maybe he just hated the traffic (I get it.)
One thing that's undeniable; he gave us a lot of thrills. I just hope he doesn't give us too much heartbreak tomorrow.