5 UCLA Grades Following Win Over Washington

The Bruins struggled for the most part against a decent Washington team.

Overall, the Bruins' starters would put together a very balanced performance. Looking ahead, they need to be more consistent, as much of their production came in the second half. This being said, UCLA needs to address these issues before its showdown vs No. 2 Michigan

Tyler Bilodeau would have a Tyler Bilodeau-type game. While it would have been nice to see him grab a few more rebounds. You simply cannot argue against his second half performance that won UCLA the game. In that time he scored 16 points on 3-6 shooting.

He earns a B here because of how inconsistent he was. If he had had half of his points in the first half, UCLA could have won this game clean. Again, you cannot argue with his second-half showing, which really helps his grade here.

Xavier Booker had a great game against Rutgers, scoring 24 points on 10/11 shooting. While it would have been nice to see him repeat this, it just was not realistic. While his offensive output was absent, he put together a very strong defensive outing.

On Dec. 3 in the last meeting vs Washington, Hannes Steinbach scored 29 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Fearing this could happen again you could see that Booker was giving that much more. Seven rebounds, and Steinbach being limited is enough to earn a C+.

CDen — Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) as he drives to the basket past Indiana Hoosiers guard Conor Enright (5) and forward Sam Alexis (4) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Donovan Dent is really starting to string a few notable performances together. If UCLA is able to make the tournament, Dent cannot miss a step. His 17 points mostly came from the line. That being said, it was imperative for most of Washington's lineup falling into deep foul trouble.

He earns an A+ here because of how balance he played. He scored well, he passed well, and suprisingly he was able to rebound well. His six rebounds made up most of what was missing from the others on this list. For that reason anything lower is not feasible.

Like Bilodeau, Trent Perry played a very inconsistent game. In the second half, he was able to score a great 16 points. Without this impact, there is no doubt that UCLA loses this game, and its season with it. Skyy Clark scored 25 in the first meeting; with him out, UCLA needed a huge scoring outing.

Perry being able to replicate that flawlessly earns him a B+. It would have been nice to see him make an impact elsewhere. 0 rebounds and 0 assists, does not help his grade here. With his perfomance being so top heavy, a higher grade is not possible.

Eric Dailey Jr had a very mundane game to say the least. He was able to hit a few solid shots late in the game that really helped UCLA take this game over. His rebounding was ok in this one, but not where it was prior to this matchup. If Dailey can start rebounding at a high-level UCLA could be dangerous.

Looking ahead, UCLA will need Dailey Jr to be a top player during its nightmare stretch. If Dailey Jr can soar to those heights, they should be able to make a massive run before the tournament starts. Not a bad game, but not the best one either.

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