Michigan was oh so close.

Down 63-50 to No. 14 UCLA with 4:35 left, the Wolverines clawed their way back by scoring six straight points. Then, guard Dion Harris pump-faked, took one step to his left and drained a 3-pointer to put Michigan within four, electrifying the Crisler Arena crowd. Now, all the Wolverines needed was one big stop.

And they got it - or so they thought.

On the next possession, Michigan clamped down on defense as the shot clock ran closer and closer to zero. UCLA missed its shot, and the long rebound fell just steps from Wolverine guard Daniel Horton.

Just a few steps too far.

Bruin forward Ryan Wright sprinted to grab the ball and extend the possession. Although UCLA didn't score just then, it had made its point. As the theme would be for those last few minutes, the Wolverines had come close but not close enough. On the cusp of being ranked for the first time in seven years, Michigan fell 68-61 to UCLA on Saturday in front of a sell-out crowd at Crisler Arena.

"We had our opportunities," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said. "And I thought we had some costly turnovers that kind of killed the run - and the opportunity to, maybe, give the this game an interesting finish."

After Wright corralled the loose ball, UCLA guard Jordan Farmar fired off his own shot that rimmed out. Michigan (7-1) grabbed the rebound, but Bruin guard Arron Afflalo stole forward Graham Brown's outlet pass to guard Daniel Horton. Afflalo then sent the ball to forward Luc Richard Mbah A Moute, who scored to give the Bruins (8-1) a 65-59 advantage.

Yet the Wolverines still had another shot. Forward Chris Hunter, who led Michigan with 15 points, drove the baseline for a lay-up, trimming the UCLA lead to four. And, on the ensuing possession, officials called Farmar for the offensive foul. This time, wing Lester Abram drove to the paint and looked to dish the ball outside, only to see it stolen in midair by guard Darren Collison. After being fouled by guard Dion Harris, Farmar hit just one of his free throws, but it was enough to sink the Wolverines for good.

"Those three possessions in the last two minutes, I thought, really doomed us," Michigan coach Tommy Amaker said.

Given how poorly the previous 10 minutes had gone for them, the Wolverines' comeback came as a bit of a shock. With the score tied at 41, UCLA went on a 20-6 run during which Michigan struggled on both sides of the court.

Defensively, the Wolverines had a few key lapses that helped the Bruins on their way to a win. On two consecutive possessions, Collison drove through the paint and floated a one-handed shot into the basket. A minute later, Farmar followed up his own missed 3-pointer, drove to the basket, scored and drew the foul. Farmar netted 15 of his game-high 21 points in the second half.

Offensively, Horton, who has been Michigan's clutch player for most the year, self-destructed. In a span of five possessions during the Bruin's second-half run, Horton missed three treys and committed a turnover. Horton played all 20 minutes of the second half but went just 1-of-8 from the field, scoring just two of his 10 points during that period.

"I don't think we panicked," Horton said. "I think guys just tried to make plays, tried to get back in it too quickly. If we were panicked, it would have been worse than what it was."

Horton's shooting woes were magnified by the fact that Michigan was relying on its perimeter players. The Wolverines came in with a significant size advantage, but the Bruins implemented an effective double team to neutralize the post threat.

Forward Courtney Sims, who has terrorized undersized squads this season, looked nonexistent on the court, shooting just twice. Forward Graham Brown did not even attempt a field goal. The Bruins won the battle on the glass 36-35.

"They had a good gameplan, taking out the post man," said Sims, who scored 17 points against UCLA last season. "I think we weren't aggressive enough. I think we could have done some more things down low even though they were double-teaming us."

At the game's start, it looked as if the guards were up to the challenge. Michigan began the game with an 8-0 run and went in to the locker room with a 34-32 lead. In the end though, the Wolverines could not overcome a 5-for-23 performance from behind the arc.