3 Bruins Who Must Shine vs Maryland

Here are three Bruins who need to perform against Maryland

Dec 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) is defended by Arizona State Sun Devils guard Anthony Johnson (2) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Bruins have struggled with consistency throughout the season, but against Maryland, a handful of Bruins have the opportunity to shed that narrative.

UCLA desperately needs to find a win after dropping back-to-back games to Wisconsin and Iowa. As the Bruins have proven all season, they really rely on notable individual performances in order to win. With one of their top scorers, Skyy Clark , trending to miss time, other Bruins need to step up.

Donovan Dent | G

Wisconsin guard Nick Boyd (2) guards UCLA guard Donovan Dent (2) during the first half of their game Tuesday, January 6, 2026 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Donovan Dent has been up and down all season, there are times where he looks like the best player in the nation, other times not so much. Maryland offers a rare opportunity where Dent should be able to make a sizeable impact offensively, simply due to better matchups all around.

With Skyy Clark expected to miss this Big Ten showdown, Dent will need to make up his scoring in one way or another. This season Dent has shot an abysmal 9.1% from three this season, so he will need to find other ways to make a substantial impact.

Eric Dailey Jr | F

Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) drives to the basket against Utah State Aggies guard Dexter Akanno (7) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Eric Dailey Jr had a very strong game against the Wisconsin the game prior. Dailey Jr looked like the player the Bruins thought they were getting in the offseason, scoring 18 points as well as grabbing eight, high-impact rebounds.

His ability to control the paint has been something the Bruins have severely missed all season. If Dailey can build off of that performance against Wisconsin the Bruins could be in serious business during their grueling conference stretch.

Brandon Williams | F

Dec 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Brandon Williams (5) and guard Eric Freeny (8) defend Cal Poly Mustangs forward Troy Plumtree (13) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After Mick Cronin seemingly cut his losses with Xavier Booker against Wisconsin, it appears that Brandon Williams will be filling his role. Williams was able to find starting minutes, but did not do that much with it, however that Williams is not known for lighting up the stat sheet.

His 6-foot-7, 230-pound frame offers a imposing threat deep in the paint that will be crucial in elevating the Bruins defense as a whole. While it would be nice to see him score more against Maryland, its clear his role will primarily consist of slowing the Terrapins down in the paint.

Dec 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks with forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) in the second half against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

UCLA needs a strong showing against Maryland—not because it would be nice to see, but because it’s necessary. The Bruins have been one of the most volatile teams in the country, and this game has to serve as a building block if they want to reverse that narrative.

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