How UCLA's Players Graded Out Against UC Riverside

UCLA would beat UC Riverside 97-65 off of the back of a few notable Bruins' performances.

The Bruins have seemingly found their stride offensively; however, they have plenty of issues in the lineup that must be addressed. Overall, a solid outing for the Bruins, but there is obviously a lot of room to grow. Here is how each of UCLA's starters graded out in the win.

The only grade that starts with an “A” that comes to mind right now is abysmal. This was not a good Xavier Booker performance...again. This game was a prime opportunity for Booker to prove that he is capable of being a starter before conference play.

He earns a D−, saved only by a few flashes of his scoring ability. A 6-foot-10 forward who can stretch the floor is a valuable piece, but it would be in his best interest to rein in his shot attempts. This team needs him to be a rebounding anchor, and that responsibility has to come first.

Pretty solid bounce-back game from Eric Dailey Jr. While it would have been nice to see a few more points, he really made up for it with his nine rebounds. If Dailey can build on this, he can easily reach his offseason expectations before February.

He earns a B+ here because, outside of rebounds, we could have seen more, and that alone is the reason why he did not know an A here. His turnovers have started to become an issue, as all three were very bad.

An absolutely jaw-dropping performance from Tyler Bilodeau in this one. He scored a season high for not only himself but the entire team with 34 points. His rebounding has also been a massive plus for the Bruins as they have needed someone to step up in that department lately.

Anything below an A++ here would have been disrespectful; a 34-point game on that level of efficiency is otherworldly. His six rebounds were just as important, as, besides Dailey, there was little impact from the other players.

After back-to-back strong outings for Donovan Dent, we thought he had turned a corner; however, this game proved that might have been a fluke. This is not the performance Dent wanted as the Bruins will have a short break. Hopefully, during this time, he gets some of his confidence back

The only reason this grade is not much lower is that when Dent would score, it was game-changing. He showcased elite finishing, but it was not as often as we hoped. To his credit, he only played 20 minutes, a season low. If he had played more, there is a good chance shots would have started to drop.

Rounding off the list is Skyy Clark, and boy, was this a disappointing one. After his 30-point game, we thought he had taken a massive step towards stardom, and this game gave him an ample opportunity to solidify that.

He earns a B− after providing some scoring, with his defensive activity—particularly his steals—doing a lot of work to boost his grade. Perimeter shooting is fundamental to his game, and when that element isn’t there, the Bruins can’t afford nights with limited rebounding and playmaking from him.

Dec 23, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts on the sidelines in the second half against the UC Riverside Highlanders at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Overall, it was a decent outing from the Bruins’ starters. While it would have been nice to see a few players perform at a higher level, Bilodeau’s complete takeover was enough to earn the group a pass for now.

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