UCLA opens the season with a heavyweight test in Las Vegas, where the Bruins will face No. 5 Arizona in a neutral-site matchup that should be one of the marquee games of opening night.
For UCLA, the spotlight falls quickly on a few players who will have to handle major roles right away. Three names stand out most: Trent Perry, Xavier Booker and Nikola Kusturica.
Perry is stepping into a much bigger load this season, and this game will show just how ready he is for it. He looked encouraging in UCLA’s two exhibition games, but Arizona is a different level of challenge entirely.
Tommy Lloyd’s team has reloaded and is aiming for another run to the Final Four. Perry will be asked to help run the show after spending last season alongside Donovan Dent, and now the Bruins need him to help recreate that kind of backcourt production.
He has support around him, but a lot of the distribution is going to run through his hands.
Booker is another player who will be under the microscope, especially because UCLA’s ability to hold its own on the glass is one of the big questions entering the year. The 6-foot-11 center has help in that area from newcomers Nikola Kusturica and Joe Philon, but Booker still needs to take a clear step forward as a rebounder if the Bruins are going to hit their ceiling. Arizona’s Motiejus Krivas is a tough opening matchup, and Booker will need to be physical and sharp to give UCLA what it needs.
Then there’s Kusturica, who might be the most intriguing player in the game for more than just Bruins fans. The freshman from Serbia brings a versatile offensive game and also profiles as UCLA’s best defensive upside. His size, length and skill give him a chance to influence the game in a lot of different ways, and he could end up being the difference-maker in this one.
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UCLA's Unbeaten Rise Comes With One Concern Fans Can't Ignore
UCLAs unbeaten start has pushed the Bruins into rare air, with an 8-0 record and a 27-0 shutout of Nevada helping lift them to No. 5 in the latest AP poll. It is the first time UCLA has been in the top five since 2001, a marker that reflects just how far this run has carried the program and how quickly the national conversation around the team has changed.
Bob Chesney has plenty to like about the way his defense has carried the Bruins through this stretch, but he also knows the standard gets tougher from here. The offense, even after a clean result against Nevada, remains the part of the team that still leaves room for concern as UCLA tries to turn a fast start into something lasting. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Gets An Early Reality Check Against A Familiar Rival
A familiar Pac-12 rivalry is getting an early-season spotlight in Las Vegas, where UCLA and Arizona are set to meet in a neutral-site game that should say plenty about both teams before the calendar really gets rolling. It is the kind of matchup that immediately sharpens the focus, especially with both programs carrying preseason expectations and trying to show they belong in the national conversation.
The setting adds to the intrigue, with the Hall of Fame Series providing an opening-night stage at T-Mobile Arena and a chance for each side to make a statement away from home. For UCLA, it is a useful reality check against a high-end opponent and a chance to see where the Bruins stand against one of the sports standard-bearers, even if the bigger answers will have to wait until after the final buzzer. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Is Climbing Fast But One Playoff Reality Still Looms
UCLAs surge has put the Bruins in a spot they have not occupied often this late in a season, with an 8-0 start carrying them up to No. 5 in the AP Top 25. The momentum is real, and so is the attention that comes with it, especially in a landscape where every ranked team is being measured not just by record but by how convincing it looks against the rest of the field.
The bigger picture, though, is that the playoff conversation is still crowded and unforgiving. Recent results have shifted the national title market in UCLAs direction, but there are still plenty of teams standing in the way, and the road from being a fast-rising contender to being a true playoff lock remains a complicated one. [Read more 🡒]