After a bounce-back year in their first season in the Big Ten, UCLA basketball is back, and expectations remain as high as ever.
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: UCLA basketball.
Ever since Mick Cronin took over as head coach in the 2019-20 season, UCLA basketball has seen consistent success, including a Final Four appearance in 2021 and back-to-back Sweet 16 appearances in 2022 and 2023. After a disappointing final season in the Pac-12 in 2024, UCLA basketball returned to prominence in their first season in the Big Ten last season, finishing 23-11 and 4th in the conference.
Coming off a return to the Big Dance and a round of 32 appearance, UCLA basketball knows what they’re capable of, and they have the team to cause even more damage this season. The Bruins return multiple key veterans while also adding high-impact transfers in the portal.
The most notable addition for UCLA basketball this past offseason was, without a doubt, point guard Donovan Dent. Dent, a transfer from New Mexico, is a transformational guard who averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists last season with the Lobos. With him taking a jump to the Power 5 level, this team ultimately has a new identity, and the Bruins will go as far as Dent will take them.
They do bring back their leading scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, a rising senior who is expected to maintain a big role this year, as well as fellow upperclassmen Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr., both of whom are in line to take a jump this season.
They bring in some other key transfers, including Xavier Booker, a 6’11” big man from Michigan State who was a former 5-star recruit. Although he’s been underwhelming for the Spartans, Cronin and UCLA basketball have high hopes for the big man this season. Jamar Brown, a senior from Kansas City, also transfers in for the Bruins as a new sharpshooter off the bench.
While their big man depth is a current question mark for this UCLA basketball team, the talent that comes from the remaining 4 starters makes up for the lack of size in the paint. With the firepower from their starting unit, along with a consistent boost from their bench, UCLA basketball is a team that looks to be dangerous in the Big Ten, and don’t be surprised if they are playing late into March this season.
Head Coach: Mick Cronin (7th season at UCLA, 23rd overall)
2024-25 Record: 23-11 (13-7)
2025 Postseason finish: Lost to Tennessee (67-58) in second round of NCAA tournament
Notable Departures:
- Sebastian Mack (9.6 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 1.7 APG)
- Kobe Johnson (7.9 PPG, 5.9 Reb, 2.9 APG)
- Dylan Andrews (6.9 PPG, 3.4 APG, 1.6 RPG)
- Lazar Stefanovic (4.7 PPG, 1.9 RRPG, 0.9 APG)
- William Kyle III (2.9 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.4 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Arizona (Nov. 14) – Inglewood, CA
- at California (Nov. 25) – San Francisco, CA
- at Gonzaga (Dec. 13) – Seattle, WA
- vs. Arizona State (Dec. 17)
Projected Rotation:
PG: Donovan Dent (6-2, 185, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 20.4 PPG, 6.4 APG, 2.3 RPG, 1.4 SPG, 0.9 BPG, 49.0 FG%, 40.9 3P% (New Mexico)
SG: Skyy Clark (6-3, 210, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 8.5 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.3 SPG, 45.8 FG%, 39.7 3P%
SF: Tyler Bilodeau (6-9, 235, Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 13.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.9 SPG, 49.6 FG%, 40.0 3P%
PF: Eric Dailey Jr. (6-8, 230, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 11.4 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.4 APG, 1.3 SPG, 50.7 FG%, 37.8 3P%
C: Xavier Booker (6-11, 245, Jr.)
2024-25 stats: 4.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.7 BPG, 41.7 FG% (Michigan State)
6: Trent Perry (6-4, 190, So.)
2024-25 stats: 3.7 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG. 36.9 FG%, 34.3 3P%
7: Jamar Brown (6-5, 200, Gr.-Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 17.0 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 1.2 APG, 1.6 SPG, 45.3 FG%, 40.2 3P% (Kansas City)
8: Brandon Williams (6-7, 230, Rs.-So.)
*Redshirted 2024-25 season
2023-24 stats: 3.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 0.5 APG, 35.7 FG%, 17.4 MPG
9: Eric Feeny (6-4, 215, Rs.-Fr.)
247Sports Composite #127-ranked recruit
10: Steven Jamerson II (6-10, 239, Rs.-Sr.)
2024-25 stats: 10.0 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 1.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 55.7 FG% (San Diego)
UCLA basketball team MVP: Donovan Dent
Donovan Dent is projected to be the engine of UCLA’s offense this season. After transferring from New Mexico, he brings elite playmaking, court vision, and defensive toughness.
The Bruins thrive on guard control, and Dent’s experience and leadership should stabilize an offense that struggled with consistency last year. If he could blend his scoring and facilitating, UCLA’s offense could take a major leap forward.
UCLA basketball make-or-break player: Xavier Booker
Booker’s development could define UCLA’s ceiling. The Michigan State transfer has NBA-level size and athleticism but hasn’t yet put it all together at the college level.
If he becomes a reliable rim protector and consistent rebounder while adding space on offense, he’ll give the Bruins a true two-way factor. If not, UCLA may once again struggle in the paint against physical Big Ten opponents.
Key Analytic: Rebounding margin
Entering its second season of Big Ten play, UCLA basketball must prove it can compete on the glass. Last season, the Bruins were middle of the pack in rebounding, often giving up second-chance points. Adding Booker and keeping Daily Jr. and Bilodeau gives them more size and athleticism, but controlling the boards will be the difference between middle-tier and top-tier Big Ten success.
UCLA basketball 2025-26 projections:
Projected Conference Finish: 3rd in the Big Ten
Projected Postseason Ceiling: Final Four