We’re going team-by-team across Big Ten men’s basketball to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out in 2026-27.
Entering year eight, Mick Cronin has been consistently successful at UCLA. He’s endured only one losing season in Los Angeles, and he’s gone to five NCAA Tournaments — and won at least one game in all of those appearances. Moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten didn’t stop the Bruins from winning. UCLA went 24-12 last season, and earned a No. 7 seed in March Madness. The Bruins beat UCF in the first round before falling to eventual national runner-up UConn. Cronin’s roster turned over in the offseason — though less than some of his counterparts’ — but he should still have his team in contention in 2026-27.
WHO’S GONE:
- Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 PPG)
- Donovan Dent (13.3 PPG)
- Skyy Clark (11.5 PPG)
- Jamar Brown (3.8 PPG)
- Steven Jamerson II (1.9 PPG)
- Anthony Peoples Jr.
WHO’S BACK:
- Trent Perry, G, Jr. (12.6 PPG)
- Eric Dailey Jr., G/F, Sr. (11.6 PPG)
- Xavier Booker, F, Sr. (7.3 PPG)
- Brandon Williams, G/F, R-Jr. (2.6 PPG)
- Eric Freeny, G, R-So. (2 PPG)
- Markell Alston, G, R-Fr.
WHO’S NEW:
Transfer portal
- Jaylen Petty, G, So. (9.9 PPG at Texas Tech)
- Filip Jovic, F, So. (6.3 PPG at Auburn)
- Azavier “Stink” Robinson, G, So. (6.1 PPG at Butler)
- Sergej Macura, F, Jr. (5 PPG at Mississippi State)
Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports)
- Joe Philon, F (four-star, No. 75)
- Javonte Floyd, C (three-star, No. 199)
- Gunars Grinvalds, F (international, unranked)
- Nikola Kusturica, F (international, four-star, No. 56)
RETURNING MINUTES: 47.9 percent (per barttorvik.com) (sixth in the Big Ten)
Why it will work
Cronin teams usually have a high floor, and there’s plenty to like about UCLA’s roster. Perry turned in a really nice sophomore season, improving as the year progressed. He and Dailey form a solid duo of returning production for the Bruins. Booker has never quite lived up to his lofty potential, but he is still a useful starter who will contribute plenty. Petty is a nice portal addition to take over at point guard, and all four transfer pickups come in with power-conference experience.
This squad has balance, outside shooting, athleticism, and plenty of other traits you see in winning teams.
Update: UCLA announced the addition of elite international freshman Nikola Kusturica, which should only serve to elevate the outlook for this team.
Why it won’t
One of the bigger questions for the Bruins will be how they make up for losing Bilodeau and Dent, but particularly Dent’s playmaking. He ranked third in the Big Ten last season with 7.5 assists per game, behind only Jeremy Fears Jr. and Braden Smith. Perry was second on the team with 2.8 per game, which jumped to three per game in conference games. He’s a good passer and a good overall player, and he could absolutely take a step in the playmaking department this year. But that’s far from a certainty. Petty, with 2.2 assists per game at Texas Tech last season, isn’t the type of point guard to pile up the dimes. Obviously, there’s more to playmaking than only assists, but this is a potentially weaker area for UCLA.
Additionally, the Bruins were not a strong rebounding team last season. They finished with 32.3 rebounds per game (No. 296 in the country), while allowing 33.4 per game to opponents (95th-most in the nation). Dailey led UCLA with 5.8 rebounds per game last season, and he’s back, but that’s a low number for a team-high. Bilodeau grabbed 5.6 per game, and he’s gone. UCLA’s ceiling will be limited without rebounding improvement.
PREVIOUS OUTLOOKS:
- Illinois
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Michigan State
- Minnesota
- Nebraska
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Purdue
- USC
- Wisconsin
- Maryland
- Northwestern
- Rutgers
- Oregon
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