Bruins Prepare For Five-Game Gauntlet Schedule

The UCLA Bruins are getting set to play in arguably their toughest stretch of the season over their next five games. Three ranked teams sandwiched around a pair of tough road games will greatly decide the trajectory of this season for the Bruins.

Jan 13, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Trent Perry (1) is guarded by Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) during the first half at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (12-6, 3-4) have potentially their toughest stretch of games on the horizon, and it begins this Tuesday night at home. With an underwhelming conference record and losers of five of their last seven, these next handful of games will largely decide which direction this team moves in.

The Bruins' next five games start with the No. 24 Wisconsin Badgers (15-3), winners of their last seven, back-to-back road games against Washington and their bitter rival, USC. They will then come back home to face No. 13 Oregon and will meet the No. 12 Michigan State Spartans a few days later.

An absolutely deadly stretch of games does the Bruins zero favors. They are either at home as an underdog against three top 25 teams or they are on the road in hostile environments, especially when they meet the Trojans at the Galen Center in a few weeks.

Luckily for UCLA, they have already beaten two of these teams, taking care of business against the Huskies to begin conference play and then knocking off the Ducks in the very next game. There will surely be adjustments made from both teams as they look to split the season series.

It is going to be extremely tough for this team to win all of these games, but if they shoot to win at least three of them, they are in good shape. Earn one, possibly two statement wins over ranked teams at home and steal a game or two on the road, preferably against their hated rival across town.

Defense will continue to be a major priority for this team's success, specifically against these highly-skilled teams. If the Bruins can defend like they did against the Iowa Hawkeyes last week, holding them to nearly 20 points under their season average, do not count them out of any of these games.

If UCLA is able to hold their own and come out of this stretch on the plus side, this season will look a lot different than it did a few weeks ago during their four-game losing streak. They will receive strong recognition from the conference and tournament committee if they can pull off a few upsets.

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