How Each UCLA Starter Could Perform at No. 15 Michigan State

Predicting every starter's statline Tuesday.

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

The Bruins need to play above expectations against Michigan State if there's any hope of a bounce-back game following their 30-point loss to No. 1 Michigan.

UCLA's starters played terribly against Michigan in the previous game; there is no way around that. Up next is a very solid Michigan State team that could prove to stunt any hopes of a bounce-back game. For this reason, UCLA needs to play at its best.

Trent Perry | G

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) dribbles defended by Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Starting off is Trent Perry. It is unclear if Skyy Clark will get the starting nod in this one. However, what is clear is that Trent Perry has been playing very good basketball. In the humiliating loss against Michigan hit 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.

If Trent Perry can keep up this efficiency, UCLA could be in good shape. While his scoring will most likely take a hit, he should be able to score at a decent level compared to some of the other Bruins on this list. For these reasons, it wouldn't be surprising to see Perry break the 15-point mark.

Prediction: 15 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST

Donovan Dent | G

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) shoots the ball in the first half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Donovan Dent really struggled against Michigan. He scored just 10 points on 5-of-12 shooting. What really hurt him in this game were the four assists he recorded. Before Michigan, Dent was absolutely amazing, averaging 10-plus assists in his last few games. Something needs to give against Michigan State.

But as we seen from Dent this season, he has been able to bounce back pretty well in some of his down games. In this game, we should expect him to slow things down and limit his turnovers while getting assists at a very high rate. If he can do this, the Bruins should be golden.

Prediction: 14 PTS. 9 AST, 2 REB

Eric Dailey Jr | F

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) dribbles defended by Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) in the second half at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

Like Dent, Eric Dailey Jr had a very rough game against Michigan. He played 14 minutes and scored just three points on 1-of-5 shooting. He got into some foul trouble early, which is probably why Mick Cronin decided to put him on the bench.

Yaxel Lendeborg played terrifically against Eric Dailey Jr., which also played a huge role in why Dailey did not play as many minutes. Dailey Jr. is a very hard worker, so the odds of him bouncing back are high. In this game, he really needs to do well rebounding against a very strong Michigan State team

Prediction: 10 PTS, 6 REB, 2 AST

Tyler Bilodeau | F

Feb 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) reacts after a three-point basket the second half against the Washington Huskies at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Tyler Bilodeau also struggled against Michigan. In the second half of that matchup, he would go 0-for-3 while playing 16 minutes. A performance like this is especially concerning from UCLA’s leading scorer, who is averaging 17.9 points per game.

As the previous two players mentioned, Bilodeau should have a very good bounce-back game. The biggest problem in the Michigan game was finding open looks. This did not come often, as Michigan was able to adjust very well after his great first-half performance, where he scored 10 points

Prediction: 23 PTS, 7 REB, 0 AST

Xavier Booker | F

Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights forward Bryce Dortch (4) beats UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) to 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

Xavier Booker is a wild card in this game.  With Skyy Clark expected to play a significant amount of minutes in this one, Booker might not see the court very often. For this reason, his expected output in this one is very low.

However, if the opportunity calls for it, Booker needs to be at his best. His rebounding will be put under a microscope, as Michigan State is ranked 22nd in the country in rebounding. If Booker can at least record seven, if he is able to find substantial minutes, UCLA will be in a very good spot.

Prediction: 2 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST

Feb 14, 2026; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin talks to guard Trent Perry (0) in the first half against the Michigan Wolverines at Crisler Center. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

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