Feb 17, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) drives past Michigan State Spartans center Carson Cooper (15) during the first half at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images Dale Young-Imagn Images

Bruins' Trent Perry, Skyy Clark Conclude Internal Battle

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI | By Nathan Berry | Last updated Feb 27, 2026 11:00 AM ET

The Bruins have given themselves a legitimate shot at making the March Madness tournament, and in the big fight for the post-season there has been a smaller fight occurring within the team between Trent Perry and Skyy Clark.

It has been a fight for the starting position after Clark missed much of the season with an injury, and Perry played very well in his place.

The battle for the starting position seems to have resolved itself after facing the USC Trojans in a game that continued to give social media hope, and it may leave some impact come the tournament.

How Did The Battle For The Starting Role Resolve?

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Coach Mick Cronin decided to alter the starting lineup by allowing both Clark and Perry to start against the Trojans, taking away the position from Xavier Booker to fit both players in.

Booker still had a normal amount of time on the court, but it allowed the Bruins to start the game blazing on offense with the capability that Perry and Clark have.

Later on both would take their respective time on the bench to rest; however, them starting out the game might not have had the best ramifications on UCLA's start.

How Did The Starting Role Battle Affect The Team?

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While the Bruins should have been able to pick up their offense and bring it to a new level at the start of the game with all of their offensive powerhouses at the helm, the game started the exact opposite way.

Everybody except for Donovan Dent started out on a dry streak, missing many of their shots and taking a long time to get warmed up, only their defense started out well.

Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The difficulty on offense did not last throughout the game, picking up greatly in the second half, but perhaps having both Perry and Clark starting was not the best for the team to start out hot; however, only time will tell if that becomes an issue.

Could The Resolved Starting Battle Be An Issue In March?

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Should the Bruins continue to start out slow every time that Perry and Clark start the game, then it could become a legitimate issue for UCLA to have to fix.

The solution would be incredibly simple; only allow one of the two to begin the game on the court and let the other sit for the first few minutes.

If it does not turn into an issue, then Perry and Clark should both be able to thrive in their starting roles and propel the Bruins into March Madness.

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