UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast Dives Into Win Over Oregon

The Bruins played a very solid game against Oregon winning 73-57.

In today's episode we will break down in-depth everything that went right and everything that went wrong in UCLA's trampling of a struggling Oregon team. Overall, this was a great outing from the Bruins, still they have a few issues they need to resolve sooner rather than later.

Watch Today's Episode Below

What Went Right?

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) is defended by Purdue Boilermakers guard Gicarri Harris (24) and center Daniel Jacobsen (12) 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

Mentioned earlier, the Bruins played a great game, especially coming in as a 4.5 point favorite. The Bruins would ultimately smash this line winning by 16 in this one.

The defense played amazingly. They were able to force the Ducks into playing a brand of basketball that was not their own. While mounting injuries did play a factor, the Ducks' 9-32 shooting from the arc is more of a reflection of how good UCLA is at defending the paint.

Xavier Booker would play a massive role in this effort. Mick Cronin wanted him to play more physical and Booker would do just that. Oregon could not penetrate the paint when Booker was on the court. When he was on the bench, the Ducks would tend to be more aggressive down low.

This now marks three-games in a row where the Bruins held teams under 70 points. A massive factor in this has been Cronin's willingness to play Booker for extended minutes. While he only played 19 minutes, this can easily be excused due to the foul trouble Booker got himself in.

What Went Wrong?

For starters, there is not much that went wrong in this one. Winning by 16 points usually means you are doing something right. However, the Bruins had plenty of chances to expand this lead further, as when the final buzzer sounded they only shot 39.7% from the field.

A lot of these inefficiencies came from UCLA's guards. Both Trent Perry and Donovan Dent had rough games shooting wise. Dent would go 6-of-17, while Perry would shoot 3-of-10, with all of his points coming in the second half.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) drives past Purdue Boilermakers forward Trey Kaufman-Renn (4) 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 slight at either of them, as there are plenty of factors that contributed to this. Skyy Clark has now missed seven-games for the Bruins. In this time both Dent and Perry have been forced to play 30-plus minutes a night. Fatigue was the driver in this one.

Jan 17, 2026; Columbus, Ohio, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a play during the second half against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images | Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Overall, not a bad game for the Bruins. Mentioned earlier, all of the real critiques are just a product of the hand UCLA has been dealt. Moving forward, once UCLA is healthy, a lot of these issues could cease to exist.

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