Three Key UCLA Players in Clash vs West Georgia

The Bruins are looking to finally find their footing against the Wolves on Monday.

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) shoots a free throw during the second half against the Pepperdine Waves at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) haven't quite reached their full potential through two games this season.

Monday's season opener against Eastern Washington left a bad taste in the mouths of UCLA players, fans and coaches. On Friday, the Bruins came out against Pepperdine with a much better effort, but the offense left much to be desired in the narrow 74-63 victory.

UCLA hosts West Georgia in a final "tune-up" game before taking on Arizona on Friday. Having already dropped 20 spots on the KenPom ratings since the season has started, the Bruins need a convincing win more than anything before matching up with some formidable competition.

With that being said, and before we get into our game previews, let's check out the three UCLA players who must have an impact Monday against the Wolves.

1. Donovan Dent, PG

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Donovan Dent (2) looks on during the first half against the Pepperdine Waves at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Dent's performance against Pepperdine didn't reach the heights it did during his 21-point, nine-assist outing to open the season, but he was still plenty impactful.

Dent finished with 12 points, four assists and two turnovers on 3-of-8 shooting. He didn't score his first field goal until the second half.

The moral of the story is that UCLA's offense will only look as good as Dent does. He is the orchestrator. Even though he didn't rack up the high assist mark or flash with elusive scoring, but he was still impactful.

2. Eric Dailey Jr., SF

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Eric Dailey Jr. (3) is greeted by forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) and guard Trent Perry (0) during the first half against the Pepperdine Waves at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Dailey took the floor for the first time this season against Pepperdine after recovering from a knee injury. He was the catalyst to the Bruins' energy int he first half of the win.

The star forward finished with 10 points, four rebounds and two assists on 3-of-4 from the field and 2-of-3 from deep. He looked just as good as you could expect someone would having not played basketball for a long stretch of the offseason.

That being said, he's still ramping up and it's only up from here. Look for Dailey to continue getting integrated with Dent and the rest of UCLA starting Monday against West Georgia.

3. Xavier Booker, C

Nov 7, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins center Xavier Booker (1) runs to the court prior to the game against the Pepperdine Waves at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Booker was the star of UCLA's win over the Waves, and his early second half effort is what kept the game from playing out like the Bruins' season opener.

The transfer center finished with 15 points, five rebounds and five blocks, all of which came in the second half, and made five of his eight field goals and split two 3-point attempts.

This was the ideal Booker game, and outings like this will raise UCLA's floor all season.

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