Separating Overreactions From Reality After UCLA’s Win Over Rutgers

The Bruins played a very solid against against Rutgers, which in turn has prompted some very serious overreactions.

After dropping to Indiana the game prior, UCLA knew they needed to have a very solid outing against Rutgers, and they did. The Bruins were able to blow past the Knights 98-66, off a few very balanced UCLA performances.

UCLA's Offense is Top-Tier

Reality: Back-to-back 97-plus performances is contingent on context.

Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Rutgers Scarlet Knights head coach Steve Pikiell shakes hands with UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin after the game at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

After scoring both 97 against Indiana and 98 vs Rutgers, UCLA's offensive output is under a microscope. While those large point totals are impressive no matter what. It becomes clear that hese games heavily relied on cicrumstances much less raw UCLA effieciency.

For starters, the Bruins would play 50 minutes against a very good Indiana team. Most of the game was UCLA catching up, rather than steering the boat themselves. On Rutgers side they had to travel across the country, not an easy task for even the best. Still great outings, but nothing to be that excited for.

Xavier Booker Will Be UCLA's Best Scorer

Reailty: Xavier Booker just got hot.

Xavier Booker scored a career-high of 24 points against Rutgers on 10/11 shooting. While this performance was amazing, it might not be sustainable. Rutgers simply did not expect Booker to be the face of UCLA's offense. Mick Cronin wanted him to get more involved, and he did.

Moving forward teams will properly address Booker outside the arc. This was only the second game of the season where Booker had 10-plus shot attempts. It would be awesome to see Booker do this night in and night out. But with Skyy Clark coming back the volume simply wont be there.

UCLA is Better Without Skyy Clark

Reality: UCLA's depth is broken without him

This theory could have been proven right if UCLA had gotten the job done against Indiana. But after that game, it was clear that the Bruins need Skyy Clark badly. Since he went down with a hamstring injury against Iowa, the Bruins' record has been 6-3.

The Bruins overall have not missed Clark that much. But both Donovan Dent and Trent Perry have had to play massive minutes since he has been out. Perry being able to fill Clark's role has been nice. But later in the season those minutes will add up. With Clark back the minutes should go back to normal.

While UCLA looked great against Rutgers, it is very unlikely that it can maintain this momentum against some of the tougher teams on its schedule. With Clark back, UCLA will get the push it needs to make those games look competitive.

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