Why UCLA’s Win Saturday Earned Mediocre Grades

Here is how UCLA's starter performed against Northwestern

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts after a dunk in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Breaking down ever Bruin performance from UCLA's sketchy win against Northwestern.

Overall, the Bruins played well against Northwestern. While no one was expectational, there was still a lot that went right for UCLA. However, a lot of these performances came off the back of strong first-half showings that were not present in the second half, which will be taken into account.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (0) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jordan Clayton (11) 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, a lot of these performances benefit from a strong first half. Trent Perry is a prime example of this, scoring 12 in the first half on 5-7 shooting, while in the second half, he had 6 points on 1-5 shooting. If this outing had been more balanced, he would have earned a better grade.

Consistency issues aside, Perry still had three really bad turnovers that all came in the second half. A half that UCLA would get outplayed. While not totally on Perry, a lot of UCLA's struggled came because of his spotty second half, where UCLA had a real shot at losing. Still a solid game.

Jan 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) is defended by Northwestern Wildcats guard Jake West (3) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

While we have seen better from Donovan Dent, this game was not bad. He played a very balanced game, getting four rebounds, as well as five assists, that would have been much higher if his teammates could convert on the open looks Dent had set up.

An A- might have been generous, but Dent played consistently and contributed where it mattered. Moving forward we need to see more scoring, and we need to see him perform better at the free throw line. He shot just 2-7, which ultimately held his grade back in this one

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) reacts after a dunk in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Overall, not bad but not a good performance from Eric Dailey Jr here. While his rebounding was nice, his inefficentcies are really hard to ignore. His shot selections at times were hard to overlook, as they would usually result in points the other direction.

A "B" is the only justifiable grade you can give Dailey here. Anything higher would be very generous, as throughout his recent performances he has had a tendency to create points for the other team. His two turnovers and, mentioned before his poor shot selection really played a role in his grading process.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) walks off the court defeating the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

This game had all the makings to be a Tyler Bilodeau legacy performance, however it would not end that way. In the first half he had 16 of his 18 points, and shot 6-6 from the field and 4-4 from the arc. The second half tells a different story, as Bilodeau shot 1-5 and 0-4 from three.

With a better second half this could have been an A or higher. 18 points while good, cannot be so top heavy, especially from Bilodeau. 10 in the first and 8 in the second would have been arguably been more impactful for the Bruins. Still, not a bad game, we just need more consistency.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Xavier Booker (1) drives ast Purdue Boilermakers center Daniel Jacobsen (12) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

One of the better games of the season for Xavier Booker here. In the last edition of this article, we spoke about how he needed to make a bigger impact rebounding-wise, and he did. Eight rebounds tie his season high, all the way back to his game against Sacramento State on Nov. 11.

While this performance is not the best on this list by far, for Booker's standards, this grade feels right. He has started to make strides defensively, and mentioned before rebounding, and that is all you can ask for when Booker is on the court. Solid outing from Booker here.

Jan 20, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts toward officials after not getting a foul call in the first half against the Purdue Boilermakers at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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