What Each UCLA Starter Must Fix Come March Madness

The Bruins will be looking to repeat their legendary 2021 March Madness cinderella run, and every starter will need to be at the top of their game and more to do so.

A Final Four is within reach of UCLA, as they have beaten teams like Purdue, Nebraska, and Illinois, which are all highly ranked, and the starters have been a lot of the magic that has allowed those upsets to happen.

UCLA, US — Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; The opening tipoff between UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) and Southern California Trojans forward Ezra Ausar (2) at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

So what will each player have to fix to give the team the best shot at a final four, and what will coach Mick Cronin need to do to ensure change?

Tyler Bilodeau

Tyler Bilodeau is the Bruins' pillar and a lethal offensive star, and when he is on the court, everything for the team gets elevated-even their defense as of recent-so there is little for him to change in the grand scheme of things.

However, there have been quite a few times where he has gotten into foul trouble, which leads him to having less time on the court, and the team has to last longer without his support.

So, going into March Madness, he will need to put his focus into keeping his game clean above anything else so that he can be there for the team as often as possible.

Donovan Dent

While Bilodeau is the pillar for the team as a whole, Donovan Dent is the foundation for UCLA every time that they enter a game where they need to get an upset.

He is the player who rallies the team to come back from an impossible deficit, like against Illinois, and the one who keeps the team heated, like against Nebraska, in the blowout victory.

He has been inconsistent, though, and that is the thing that needs to change, because every game in March Madness is a win-or-go-home situation, and a bad night from Dent could be the end of the team's hopes.

In the past four games alone, Dent has had two games with over 20 points, matched with two games with five or fewer; his consistency could easily make or break March Madness, and he has the chance to fix it in the Big Ten tournament.

Trent Perry

Trent Perry burst onto the scene suddenly when the Bruins lost Skyy Clark, and he filled the offensive role well for the Bruins, as well as finding a good place on the defense.

He was able to keep on getting the starting role when Clark came back, and that seemed to have altered his play, which has taken a shift from when he first took over.

His field goal percentages have still generally been great, but his three-point shooting has been the opposite, and the paint play has to do a lot of work to get Perry points; one recent game against Minnesota even saw him miss all five of his attempts, which could have altered the game.

Back when he first got the starting role, he was playing desperately so that he could keep the job. Now, he needs to get back into that desperate style of play, make some shots, and be ready to upset some teams in March Madness.

Skyy Clark

Skyy Clark has been back on the court for a while now after missing 11 games with a hamstring injury, and the break has taken a toll on his play in many matches.

In his most recent game against the Trojans, he missed every one of his shots and was also generally unable to keep his spot on defense with minimal rebounds.

He needs to shake off the rust and get back to form come March Madness, because he has the potential to be the catalyst that Dent will need to fuel a huge upset, but he could also be what makes it fail.

He has the Big Ten Tournament to get into the March Madness mindset, and if he can take advantage of the opportunity, things will look excellent for UCLA.

Eric Dailey Jr.

In the Bruins' past five games, Eric Dailey Jr. has actually been excellent, only flopping in one game to USC before correcting his mistakes and proving he could play better in the rivalry rematch.

He is in a similar position as Bilodeau, as he is the team's defensive pillar and someone who can be relied on to shoot; so keeping a clean role will be of the utmost importance so that UCLA can be at full strength all tournament.

What Mick Cronin Will Need To Do

Mick Cronin, UCLA — Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) talks with head coach Mick Cronin against the Southern California Trojans first half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The most common thing across every one of UCLA's upsets is Mick Cronin in the locker room-and at the bench-yelling at his players and getting them into the fiery, desperate mindset that unlocks victories.

He will need to continue doing what he does and channel some of the 2021 energy to help his team reach the final four again; without him his team is likely to fall apart.