The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of UCLA Basketball

The UCLA Bruins have played a very up-and-down season this year. Here is something that they are doing right and things they are doing wrong.

There are plenty of things to discuss since the last edition of the article. Looking ahead, the Bruins need to get ready for their conference stretch coming up soon, meaning they need to zero in on both of the critiques in this article.

The Good | Tyler Bilodeau

Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) reacts to making a basket against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Tyler Bilodeau has been amazing this season and has quickly emerged as not only the Bruins' best player, but the best player in the entire Big Ten. This season, he is averaging 19.0 points and 5.1 rebounds while shooting a very good 54.8% from the field and 46.7% from the arc.

In the Bruins' last game against UC Riverside, Bilodeau put up a jaw-dropping 34 points as well as six rebounds, while shooting a very good 63.2% from the field. This is good news since this was the first full game where the Bruins had Bilodeau primarily playing the five.

The Bad | Donovan Dent's Inconsistency

After back-to-back 15-plus point games from Donovan Dent, we figured he had turned a corner and shed some of his confidence issues. However, against UC Riverside, he really let us down, scoring only 7 points on 28.7% shooting. We really need Dent to prove that he can be a star for the Bruins.

With Mick Cronin switching to a three-guard look, the Bruins really need Dent to start playing more consistently. Trent Perry has really started to shine as of late, even playing more than Dent against UC Riverside. Cronin is not scared to make changes with massive lineup implications.

The Ugly | Rebounding

Nov 14, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) and center Xavier Booker (1) leave the court after defeated by the Arizona Wildcats 69-65 at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The rebounding issue seems to be a lost hope; this has forced the Bruins to switch to a more offensive identity with the previously mentioned three-guard lineup. This lineup feels like a "Moneyball" situation where Cronin is putting role players in situations where they can statistically close the gap.

Role player Jamar Brown is a great example of this; while he is not the flashiest player, he provides key impact for the Bruins. Against UCR, he put up a very solid seven rebounds, which would allow the Bruins to control the paint. If rebounding does not improve, UCLA will struggle against better teams.

Dec 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts on the sidelines in the first half against the UC Riverside Highlanders at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bruins really need to figure out how to minimizes these problem, or these issues could prove to catch up to them soon ; especially with their rough conference schedule coming up soon.

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