How to Watch: UCLA Basketball Opens Season vs. Eastern Washington

The No. 12 Bruins open a highly-anticipated season at home against the Eagles.
Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts after a three-point basket against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts after a three-point basket against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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The No. 12 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team is officially getting the 2025-26 season started against the Big Sky's Eastern Washington Eagles at home on Monday.

The Bruins are coming off a dominant 94-64 exhibition game win against UC Irvine on Tuesday. UCLA will officially take the Wooden Floor for the first time this season against the Eagles.


How to Watch

What: UCLA Bruins vs. Eastern Washington Eagles
When: Monday, Nov. 3
Time: 7:30 p.m. (PT)
Where: Pauley Pavilion (Westwood, California)
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: AM 790 (KABC)


Three UCLA Stars Featured in Top 100 NCAA Rankings

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Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts during the second half against the Utah State Aggies in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

 UCLA is projected to be one of the teams with the highest ceilings of the year.

The anticipation stems from a stellar offseason where coach Mick Cronin not only retained some key returners but also bolstered the roster through a few impactful additions in the transfer portal, like reigning Mountain West Player of the Year Donovan Dent, turning UCLA into the No. 12-ranked team in preseason polls.

ESPN brought in the new season by ranking college basketball's top 100 players going into the new year. Jeff Borzello and Myron Medcalf meticulously curated the rankings and three Bruins made the list.

Here are which UCLA stars made the rankings and what Borzello and Medcalf had to say about them ahead of this season.

9. Donovan Dent | Point Guard | Senior

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Mar 23, 2025; Cleveland, OH, USA; New Mexico Lobos guard Donovan Dent (2) shoots the ball in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans during the NCAA Tournament Second Round at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images

"There won't be too many more transformative transfers than Dent, who should singlehandedly change coach Mick Cronin's offense. He's among the nation's toughest players to keep out of the lane, consistently beating his defender to get into the paint and then either finishing in traffic or dishing to an open teammate. He ranked in the top 15 nationally in both scoring (20.4) and assists (6.4) last season at New Mexico." -- Borzello

69. Eric Dailey Jr. | Guard/Forward | Junior

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Mar 20, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) drives to the basket against Utah State Aggies guard Dexter Akanno (7) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

"Provided Dailey's knee injury is as minor as coach Mick Cronin made it sound earlier this month, Dailey looks poised to continue his upward trajectory. He immediately slotted into the UCLA starting lineup last season after transferring from Oklahoma State, and became one of the most efficient offensive players in the country. He averaged 11.4 points in just 23.6 minutes, shooting nearly 51% from the field and 38% from 3." -- Borzello

78. Tyler Bilodeau | Forward | Senior

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Mar 22, 2025; Lexington, KY, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) celebrates after a play during the first half against the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-Imagn Images | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

"After Mick Cronin's viral rant about his team's lack of toughness during a four-game losing streak last season, the Bruins went on to win 12 of their next 17 games. During that stretch, Bilodeau finished in double figures 12 times. The 6-9 forward is a unique threat (42% from beyond the arc in conference play) who could help Cronin's team battle for the Big Ten crown." -- Medcalf


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Connor Moreno
CONNOR MORENO

Connor Moreno is an alumnus of Arizona State and New Mexico State. Before joining the On SI team, he covered the NBA's Phoenix Suns as a beat writer, and now he serves as our UCLA Bruins writer for SI.

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