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Social Media Reacts To Newfound Fire From UCLA
Feb 3, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) shoots over Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Tariq Francis (0) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Social Media Reacts To Newfound Fire From UCLA

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI  |  By Nathan Berry  |  Last updated Feb 3, 2026 11:53 PM ET

The Bruins had one of their biggest games of the year against the Indiana, and they lost in double overtime, which could have easily derailed their entire season.

This would have been a travesty for UCLA fans who just wanted to see the team continue to compete going into March, and they needed to bounce-back against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.

Luckily they did, and they were able to start reaping the benefits of their loss to the Hoosiers in a dominant blowout against the Scarlet Knights, which was very good for fans to see.

A New Fire Under The Bruins: First Half

The game started out with the Bruins taking a quick lead spearheaded by Tyler Bilodeau, who has been the most consistent piece for the team this year.

He was quickly racking up points and putting the game on his back while his teammates still were getting hot on the court, and UCLA had a good lead after only a few minutes.

They continued to build their lead against Rutgers, playing incredibly clean basketball with little turnovers despite not seeing every shot they took land.

It was something that had been rarely seen in the season up until recently, in which even though the Bruins hot shooting was being matched shot-for-shot by the Scarlet Knights, they were still getting majorly ahead.

It did not take very long for Bilodeau's teammates to step up and grow the Bruins lead, this time around seeing Brandon Williams taking initiative to make a tough shot through a foul.

Because of Williams' effort the team was able to find a 12 point lead by the end of the half, and even though the game was still within reach for Rutgers it looked as though UCLA had another win, but some concerns remained.

A New Fire Under The Bruins: Second Half

Coach Mick Cronin made the flame under the Bruins turn into a full-fledged blaze in the second half as UCLA made shot after shot to pull ahead almost every possession.

One of the hottest guys on the court ended up being Xavier Booker, who was almost perfect in his shooting and was huge in putting the Bruins up by over 30 points at the end of the game.

The game was never out of the Bruins control after Booker took over, and the entire unit looked very clean and composed in their eventual 32 point, 98-66 victory.

Social media was very pleased with the win, and they now have an expectation that UCLA will be able to continue this dominance for the rest of the season.


This article first appeared on UCLA Bruins on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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