Bruins' Booker Explains Career-Best Performance Against Rutgers

UCLA forward Xavier Booker experienced a breakout performance in the team’s latest 99-68 blowout win over Rutgers.

Booker — who is averaging 7.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game this season — scored 24 points on 10-11 shooting from the floor, and knocked down all four of his three-point tries.

The 24 points is by far a career-high for the transfer from Michigan State, and it’s the first time he’s scored in double-digits since he scored 12 points in a loss to Gonzaga on Dec. 13.

Booker’s performance helped the Bruins cruise to an easy blowout victory over Rutgers. UCLA has now won 6 of its last 8 games, and have managed to turn their season around after a bumpy start.

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Indiana Hoosiers forward Tucker DeVries (12) and UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) go for a rebound in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Booker, Cronin react to performance

After the game, Booker talked about his performance against Rutgers.

“Everything just felt good today,” Booker said. “Especially coming off of the first shot. My teammates knew I was hitting shots today, so they just kept feeding me the ball. So, shout out to them for that, but everything just felt good.”

“Honestly I don’t know,” Booker added when asked about what prepared him for his performance against Rutgers. “I mean, just coming off of the first shot, it felt good. Then, everything after that felt good as well, so I just kept on building, and like I said earlier, my teammates just kept finding me.”

Head coach Mick Cronin also reacted to Booker’s career-best performance.

“You don’t have to be a math major to figure out that an open three Book is better than a contested two from anybody,” Cronin said. “We’ve got guys that can shoot, we’ve got to either score, get fouled, or pass it out. Steve Nash, Tony Parker pass it out, quit taking wild shots. But, I’m happy for Book.”

Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell shakes hands with UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin after the game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Now at 16-7 overall, and 8-4 in Big Ten play, the Bruins have gotten themselves back in the conversation to make the NCAA Tournament after slipping out of bubble projections at the start of conference play. They’ve gotten numerous breakout performances from Trent Perry, Donovan Dent, and Tyler Bilodeau among others, with Booker now joining the club after his latest outing.

UCLA will now look to carry this momentum into the rest of their Big Ten schedule as the next month presents challenging matchups with Michigan, Michigan State, and Illinois. If the Bruins want to prove that they are serious, they’ll need to pull off some upset wins over some of the top teams in the conference.

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