Dec 6, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the first half against the Oregon Ducks at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The Good, Bad and Ugly of UCLA Basketball

Originally posted on UCLA Bruins on SI
By Andrew L. Ferguson Jr | Last updated Dec 19, 2025 5:00 PM ET

The Bruins have looked rough this season however, there is a bright spot that is worth highlighting.

UCLA currently sits at 8-3, not the best considering the hype that this team came in with. The Bruins started the season as the No. 12 team in the country, and as of now have fallen out of the ranking. Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly of this season so far.

The Good | Scoring Celling

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The Bruins' offense has been the only reason why they have been kept afloat. Against ASU, they scored a season-high of 90 points. Without a dominant scoring game, the Bruins could have easily fallen in that one, with ASU scoring 77, which is more than UCLA has averaged all season.

The main drivers in this success have been the Bruins players. Skyy Clark has been shooting all season, minus some outliers, scoring 12.7 a game with 51.9% 3PT shooting. Tyler Bilodeau has been incredible as well, scoring 16.8 points a game while shooting 51%.

The Bad | Defense

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The Bruins' defense has been rough this season, to say the least. The biggest factor in this has been their lack of defense in the paint. Xavier Booker has looked shaky in the paint all season; this weakness was exposed big time against Gonzaga, where their front court had a field day.

Moving forward, Cronin may have to switch up the starting lineup. Brandon Williams has emerged as a favorite to steal Booker's spot, for defensive reasons. Steven Jamerson will also need to make an impact as the big man, and he has. Against ASU, he had a block and three steals in 11 minutes.

The Ugly | Rebounding

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The Bruins' rebounding has been awful this season. This lack of rebounding has landed them 299th nationally in that stat. UCLA's front court especially needs to step it up. Xavier Booker didn't record a single board against ASU. While Bilodeau did step up, he only had five throughout the night.

If the Bruins are serious about making a deep run in March, they need to get something going. Eric Dailey Jr has made a significant impact as of late; however, we need to see a lot more from Xavier Booker, Brandon Williams, and Tyler Blidodeau down the stretch

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The good news for the Bruins is that the season is still very young. Meaning there is plenty of room for improvement later in the season. These issues need to be addressed before March, or they might see themselves making another early exit.

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

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