Good, Bad and Ugly from UCLA-Rutgers

In this edition of "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly," we will break down UCLA's convincing win against Rutgers.

UCLA played a very strong game against Rutgers, winning 98-66 in a very dominant fashion. Looking ahead, UCLA's schedule will tighten up, meaning the Bruins need to shed some of the issues below. But besides that, UCLA played against Rutgers nearly perfectly.

The Good | Efficient Facilitating

Jan 31, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Indiana Hoosiers guard Nick Dorn (7) defends UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) as he drives to the basket 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 had a great night moving the ball. By the final buzzer, they had 24 assists to just two turnovers. Looking ahead, if the Bruins are able maintain this efficiency at this level, this won't be the last time they score 95-plus points. With Skyy Clark coming back, we should see this trend continue.

Donovan Dent was able to find high-success with Xavier Booker as he was able to score 24 points on 10/11 shooting. If both can click like this moving forward, this could be a serious duo to monitor. Dent had had 11 assists and one turnover. Great outing.

The Bad | Rebounding

This issue has become a common theme all season. The Bruins were only able to muster 35 to Rutgers 30. While UCLA was able to out-rebound, 35 is simply not enough to smile about. Against the tougher opponents down the stretch UCLA will need to improve.

Eric Dailey Jr's rebounding was something to take note of during UCLA's three game winstreak. He was averaging 7.5 boards per game. Against Indiana and now Rutgers, he has really struggled to be the same player. Again, moving forward, he must improve.

The Ugly | Standout Performances

Jan 5, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Kaden Powers (3) dribbles during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Against Indiana, Nick Dorn would explode for 26 points, after a dominant second-half performance. His impact ultimatley forced the Bruins to play catch-up to end the game. It was nearly a similar performance against Rutgers as Kaden Powers would flash for 18 first half points.

If UCLA is unable to limit individual performances agaist teams like Michigan, they a close to zero chance of an upset. Performances like Dorn and Powers set the tone for UCLA. Looking ahead there needs to be quicker adjustments to prevent this moving forward.

Jan 10, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts after a play in the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Overall, there is not much to nitpick in a 32 point blow out. But even the small things that went wrong, could easily become a bigger issues when UCLA has to face real competition. Teams like aforementioned No. 2 Michigan and No.5 Illinois will not let UCLA off the hook as easily as Rutgers showed.

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