UCLA men’s basketball now knows what the 2026-27 road looks like.
The Bruins open with a pair of exhibition games at Pauley Pavilion, first against Cal Baptist on Wednesday, Oct. 21 and then San Diego on Tuesday, Oct. 27.
From there, the regular season begins in a big way in Las Vegas, where UCLA will face Arizona on Monday, Nov. 2.
Conference play arrives quickly after that. UCLA’s first league game is set for Tuesday, Dec. 1, when Oregon comes to Pauley Pavilion.
The Bruins’ schedule includes 18 home games as part of a 32-game slate in 2026-27.
This will be a different-looking UCLA team, with Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent moving on. But Mick Cronin’s group does bring back a solid core, with Trent Perry, Eric Dailey Jr., Xavier Booker, Brandon Williams and Eric Freeny all re-signing with the Bruins.
UCLA also attacked the transfer portal, adding four players: former Auburn forward Filip Jovic, former Mississippi State forward Sergej Macura, former Texas Tech guard Jaylen Petty and former Butler guard Azavier Robinson. Petty and Jovic project to be key players.
The Bruins didn’t stop there. They also brought in two scholarship freshmen from the high school ranks, center Javonte Floyd and power forward Joe Philon, along with two older international prospects: former Real Madrid wing Gunars Grinvalds and former FC Barcelona wing Nikola Kusturica.
Kusturica, who is just 17 years old, must spend two years in college. The source notes that he has a very high ceiling and could hear his name called early in the 2028 NBA Draft.
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UCLA Faces An Early Recruiting Test For An Elite Quarterback
UCLA is already facing an early test on the recruiting trail, with Bob Chesney and his staff making a push for one of the top quarterbacks in the 2028 class. Josiah Boyd, a four-star prospect and the No. 2 quarterback in the cycle, has trimmed his options to Oregon, UCLA and Kentucky, and he is set to visit those programs in the coming weeks.
For the Bruins, this is the kind of battle that can shape the tone of an entire class this far out. They will try to sell Boyd on their resources and the advantage of being close to his hometown, but with three prominent schools still in the mix, the decision is far from settled. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA's Big Ten Home Opener Just Added One More Reason To Show Up
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UCLA students now have one more reason to be part of it. The school announced free admission for all UCLA students to regular-season home football games starting with this one, adding a built-in boost to the Rose Bowl atmosphere as the Bruins begin their Big Ten home slate. For a program trying to turn each conference date into a bigger event, the timing could hardly be better. [Read more 🡒]
UCLA Heads Into Big Ten Opener With Key Availability Questions
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The Bruins have already shown enough through their first stretch to believe they can travel into conference play with confidence, but availability is starting to matter in a more urgent way. Tight end Josh Phifer could miss a second straight game, and with the opener approaching, UCLA will be watching closely to see which pieces are actually ready when the matchup arrives. [Read more 🡒]