Top 3 UCLA Players Michigan State Must Contain Tuesday

These three guys are the biggest ones to worry about during the Spartans' game against the Bruins.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives past Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

A lot is going to be learned about the mental fortitude of Michigan State soon.

The Spartans have lost three of their last four games, dropping their last game at Wiscosin, 92-71. MSU (20-5 overall, 10-4 Big Ten) now gets to return to East Lansing for its next two games. The first of those two is a game against UCLA (17-8, 9-5).

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

These Bruins are on the second game of their trip to the Great Lakes State. UCLA was only down two at halftime against No. 2 Michigan on Saturday, but the Wolverines completely dominated the second half and won by 30.

Michigan State desperately needs a win here to regain momentum, but the Bruins definitely don't want an 0-2 trip. These are the three UCLA players who pose the biggest threat:

F Tyler Bilodeau

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) reacts after a three-point basket the second half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bruins' top scorer is senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who averages 17.9 points per game. Michigan State's defensive game plan for him is crucial. He's a lethal three-point shooter, making 45.2% of his shots from beyond the arc this season. MSU is going to have to stretch its defense out in respect of that, since Bilodeau usually plays the four.

Bilodeau is also quite good at getting to the line and making teams pay. He shoots five foul shots per game, and he's ended up making 85.3% of them to this point.

G Donovan Dent

Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Bryce Dortch (4) as UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) sets a screen in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Running the point for UCLA is Donovan Dent. He transferred in this past offseason from New Mexico, where he averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game last season. When the Spartans and the Lobos met up in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, MSU did a pretty decent job of containing him by holding Dent to 14 (7-for-18 shooting) with six assists and four turnovers.

Now in the Big Ten, Dent's scoring has dropped to 13.5 points a contest, but he's now averaging 7.0 assists per game, which is in the top 10 nationally. He's had 10+ assists in three of his last four games.

G Trent Perry

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) dribbles defended by Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the second half at Crisler Center. | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

A big riser this season for UCLA has been shooting guard Trent Perry. He came off the bench last season and started this season the same way, besides a few isolated starts during non-conference play.

The last time Perry didn't start a game was on Jan. 3 against Iowa. After that game, he had been averaging 9.5 points per game. Since that point, Perry has averaged 16.5 points per game, scoring as much as 30 in a game at Penn State. He's also shot a scorching-hot 48.9% from three since becoming a full-time starter.

Jan 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts after a play in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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