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First Look at Illinois Basketball's Game 28 Opponent: UCLA Bruins

The Illini will conclude their short West Coast trip against a reeling – but still dangerous – Bruins squad on Saturday
Pranav Hegde|
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin and guard Donovan Dent (2) react on the bench as the lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in double overtime at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin and guard Donovan Dent (2) react on the bench as the lost to the Indiana Hoosiers in double overtime at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting IlliniUCLA Bruins

After opening its West Coast swing with a dominant win over USC, Illinois (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) will now turn its attention to UCLA, with a chance to complete a sweep of Los Angeles' corner of the Big Ten on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, FOX). The Illini looked sharp, connected and, maybe most importantly, fully healthy in their first game out west – a combination that raises the ceiling of this group as March approaches.

With the postseason right around the corner, every game carries added weight, and Illinois has an opportunity not just to stack another Quad 1 win but also to continue building rhythm at the right time. A matchup with UCLA presents a different challenge stylistically, but if the Illini can carry over the energy and execution they showed against USC, they will arrive home with real momentum heading into the stretch run.

UCLA at a glance

The Bruins are led by seventh-year coach Mick Cronin, who has made headlines in recent days – and not for the right reasons. Cronin has built a long reputation as a no-nonsense, demanding coach who isn’t afraid to speak his mind. Whether it’s officiating, travel logistics or his team’s execution, he tends to let his frustrations be known. That edge, however, is also part of what has made him successful. He guided UCLA to a Final Four and has consistently fielded tough, defensive-minded teams that compete at a high level.

This year’s group entered the season with significant expectations and plenty of talent, but the results haven’t always matched the preseason buzz. The Bruins have struggled to collect quality wins, dropping nearly all of their matchups against top-tier competition. The lone exception was an impressive home victory over Purdue, a win that showed what this roster is capable of when everything clicks. Outside of that performance, though, consistency has been an issue.

Most recently, UCLA made a difficult Midwest road trip to face Michigan and Michigan State, and the results were rough. The Bruins dropped both contests by a combined 53 points, a stretch that exposed defensive lapses and offensive stagnation against physical, well-coached opponents. For a team that prides itself on toughness, those losses were particularly concerning and possibly even signal a team on the verge of collapse.

The Bruins on the court

Key players

For all of Cronin’s public frustration about his team’s inconsistency, there is no shortage of talent on this roster. The headliner is Donovan Dent, the New Mexico transfer who was one of the most coveted guards in the portal last offseason. Dent last season averaged 20.4 points per game for the Lobos and helped guide them to the NCAA Tournament, showcasing his ability to score at all three levels while pushing tempo and attacking downhill.

This season, though, the numbers – and the overall impact – have dipped. A big part of that appears to be fit. Dent simply does not seem to mesh naturally with Cronin’s offensive philosophy, and at times he looks like a player still searching for clarity within the structure of the system. The talent is obvious, but the rhythm and comfort level have not regularly appeared.

Dent does have some help, though. Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau has been a steady offensive presence, averaging 18.1 points per game and scoring in a variety of ways. Bilodeau can stretch the floor, operate in the mid-post and take advantage of mismatches, making him one of the more versatile frontcourt players in the conference. UCLA also features a name familiar to Illini fans in Skyy Clark, who is averaging double figures and capable of heating up quickly from the perimeter. Add in a solid interior piece like Eric Dailey Jr., and the Bruins have plenty of weapons – at least on paper.

At some point, though, the conversation shifts from talent to results. When a roster this skilled struggles to meet expectations, it raises bigger-picture questions. Cronin’s demanding style has produced winning teams before, but this season, the pieces haven't aded up. Whether it is schematic stubbornness, rotation decisions or simply chemistry, the Bruins have underperformed relative to their ceiling – and, ultimately, that falls on the head coach.

Offense

The most puzzling part of UCLA’s season has been its offense – and much of that comes back to Cronin’s entrenched approach. The Bruins rank 310th nationally in adjusted tempo per KenPom, one of the slowest paces in the country. That is by design. Cronin wants to grind games down, walk the ball up, run set after set and win in the halfcourt. There is nothing inherently wrong with that style – when it fits the roster.

The problem is that this roster is not built for that. When you bring in Dent, who made a name for himself playing fast, attacking in space and overwhelming teams in transition, it makes little sense to immediately slam the brakes. Dent thrives on speed. He thrives when the defense is scrambling. Yet UCLA consistently forces him into deliberate half-court possessions against fully set defenses. Instead of leaning into his strengths, the system seems to suppress them.

That disconnect has shown up on the floor. The Bruins can look rigid and predictable offensively, especially against athletic teams that can guard one-on-one and switch actions. When the first option in a set is taken away, possessions too often stall into late-clock isolations. For a team with this level of talent, the offense can feel unnecessarily stagnant.

What makes it more puzzling is that much. of the roster would seem to benefit from a more flexible approach. UCLA has several players who have shown they can be versatile and explosive scorers, yet they seem to be held back by a prehistoric offensive scheme.

Defense

On the other end, Cronin still leans on a man-to-man system that is designed to make opponents grind out every possession. His teams traditionally shrink the floor, force tough shots late in the clock and win with physicality.

The problem this season is that it has not been much of a grind.

Good offenses have scored efficiently against UCLA, and a big reason is the lack of size. The Bruins do not have a true rim protector to clean up mistakes, which makes it harder to protect the paint and finish defensive possessions with rebounds. Without that back-line presence, rotations get stretched and second-chance points become an issue.

Illinois vs. UCLA matchup

Although the Bruins are reeling both on the court and internally, this is still a game Illinois cannot afford to overlook. UCLA has almost nothing to lose at this point, and that could make the Bruins very dangerous. A desperate team with latent talent playing at home, with urgency and wounded pride can flip a game quickly if the opponent is not fully locked in.

Cronin's group will likely come out aggressively, trying to assert its physicality early and respond after being embarrassed last week. If Illinois matches that intensity and stays disciplined, the talent gap should show over 40 minutes. The Illini simply have more firepower and, unlike the Bruins, have proven they can win games without having to purely out-talent opponents.

UCLA hasn't consistently shown the ability to beat comparable or superior teams when execution becomes the deciding factor. If Illinois brings the same focus it showed against USC, it should be in control. The question now is whether the Illini can finish the West Coast trip the right way and carry real momentum back home heading into the postseason.

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Pranav Hegde
PRANAV HEGDE

Primarily covers Illinois football, basketball and golf, with an emphasis on news, analysis and features. Hegde, an electrical engineering student at Illinois with an affinity for sports writing, has been writing for On SI since April 2025. He can be followed and reached on Instagram @pranavhegde__.

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