Dishing Out 5 Grades After Balanced-Effort UCLA Victory

Here is how each UCLA starter graded against the Ducks

Jan 17, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) drives to the basket as Ohio State Buckeyes guard John Mobley Jr. (0) defends during the first half at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

The Bruins would rip apart a very banged up Oregon team, 73-57; just the win they needed.

UCLA needed to have a strong game here, especially with its gaunlet of ranked opponnets coming up soon. The Bruins as a team have made strides to really push the needle in the Big Ten. Overall, a very balanced night for the Bruins. Hopefully they can keep this up.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Not a bad game from Donovan Dent here. While we knew his scoring would be a factor in this one, as it was. Getting there was not pretty. He had four points in the first half, and as you can see from his 6-of-17 shooting night, it took a while for shots to start falling.

A B here is respectable. While it would have been nice to see more assists, it was clear that Dent feels more confident scoring himself. Which it not a bad things per se, however UCLA will need Dent to return to his 6.7 assists per game standard he has set himself.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) chases down a loose ball in the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After going scoreless in the first half, Trent Perry was able to play the closer role in this one. He was able to find all 12 of his points in the second half of the second half. Which simply cannot happen again. We need to see Perry score when it matters, not when UCLA is up by 15-plus.

A B- feels safe here. Again there was just not much to speak highly of Perry in this one. With Clark returning soon, Perry needed to prove why he should remain the starter; and in this one he did the opposite.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts after a dunk in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Eric Dailey Jr is playing with an intensity that was missing earlier in this season. There are really no complaints to be had when evaluating this performance. A double-double on decent shooting, while grabbing a season-high in rebounds is worthy of an A+.

Really the only thing holding Dailey Jr back from the coveted A++ was his lack scoring output. He started this game off with a quick eight points, but would level off for most of the game. While he was able to score a little bit more, it was not enough to justify a higher grade.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) walks off the court defeating the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

A typical Tyler Bilodeau game here. 17 points, on good shooting and seven rebounds without a doubt earns at least an A here. With him and Dailey Jr taking the jump in the rebounding side of things the Bruins are starting to look really good defensivley on the glass.

He only earns an A here because of the standard he has set himself. We know what Bilodeau is capable of so anything higher would be unfair to past grades he has earned. Still a great, and much needed game for Bilodeau and the Bruins.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) defends Northwestern Wildcats guard Jayden Reid (4) in the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The boxscore does not represent Xavier Booker's impact in this one. It has become a regular occurrence for the Bruins' defense to look exponentially better with him on the court. The paint was not an option for Oregon because of Booker's physicality.

A B+ feels good here, especially with how Booker had performed earlier this season. However, Booker did get into some foul trouble, which in turn allowed the Ducks to get some momentum going. That just goes to show how good Booker has been playing.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts toward officials after not getting a foul call in the second half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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