Can Bruins Right Ship Against Rutgers?

The UCLA Bruins have hit a dry spell in the win column. Can they fix that with a victory over Rutgers?

Jan 10, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) takes a shot over Maryland Terrapins guard Ja'Kobi Gillespie (0) during the second half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Not a whole lot has gone right for UCLA men's basketball in its last three games. Hitting a rough patch for the first time this season, the Bruins cannot act like this is the end of the world, even if Coach Mick Cronin thinks it is. Luckily for the Bruins, they have a chance to right their wrongs against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

The Bruins have dropped their average point totals on the season in the last three games and have struggled in their last five. While UCLA has certain veterans taking the lead, there has not been enough consistency in both offense and defense to lead them to victories.

Luckily for the Bruins, the Scarlet Knights have not found grand success themselves this season. Entering the game with UCLA with an 8-8 record, and a 1-4 Big Ten record, the Bruins may have an answer to their losing streak.

Every losing streak eventually comes to an end, but it takes the perfect matchup to do so. The Bruins will need to be aggressive on offense against Rutgers if they want to secure the victory. If they don't, the Scarlet Knights could certainly pull off the upset.

For the Bruins young players, a competitive loss would be better than an average win in the eyes of Cronin, especially with the harsh words he has given to the media revolving around his team as of late. Some may call it tough love, but the Bruins have experienced much of the tough portion and not a lot of the love.

The main threat that Rutgers provides on offense is freshman guard Dylan Harper. Harper has led the Scarlet Knights in average points per game this season, with 20.1 in 32.6 minutes on average on the court. Aside from Harper, Rutgers may still be the underdogs going into the matchup even with UCLA on a losing streak.

For UCLA, a victory will push them back to .500 in Big Ten competition and land them their 12th victory. In an attempt to crawl back to the promised land that is atop the Big Ten standings, the Bruins will need to string some victories together.

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