Arizona’s run to the Final Four included a long list of tremendous performances, but one that might not have gotten as much attention was the win over UCLA in mid-November. The Wildcats trailed by 10 early, only to take a 3-point lead at halftime, then fell behind by eight with just over seven minutes to go and rallied for the 69-65 victory.
That Bruins team went on to win 24 games and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and like most teams have to rebuild their roster during the offseason. The current UCLA squad begins this season ranked 22nd, and Big Ten media members predict it will finish 4th in that conference.
Now they meet again in Las Vegas on Monday night to open the 2026-27 season.
To better understand this version of one of the UA’s top rivals, we reached out to Dimitri Dorlis of The Mighty Bruin for some insight and a score prediction. Below are his determined answers to our hesitant questions:
AZ Desert Swarm: UCLA returns three of its top six scorers from a 24-win team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament, along with some other reserves. How much do you expect that consistency from last season to help set the tone for 2026-27?
Dimitri Dorlis: “It’s an interesting thing, because on the one hand, I do think Mick Cronin has finally established some program continuity for the first time since the Jaime Jaquez years (where UCLA essentially ran out the same lineup for multiple seasons). He now has some program veterans in Trent Perry and Eric Dailey who not only know the system and what Cronin wants, but also can pass on that knowledge to younger and newer players. At the same time, saying that three of the top six scorers are returning leaves out that the top scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, is now gone, as is second-leading scorer and point guard Donovan Dent. Skyy Clark was a multi-year starter as well. So there will be some growing pains early this year as guys adapt to new roles.”
Freshman Nikola Kusturica has gotten a lot of attention during the preseason for his diverse skill set. What has made him stand out so quickly and what role do you see him having on this team?
“There was a play in the exhibition against Cal Baptist where Kusturica dove to the floor for a loose ball, kicked it out to Jaylen Petty, got up, and repositioned himself to grab an offensive rebound and draw a foul. Oh, and UCLA was up 20 points at that point. Kusturica’s drive and motor have been the biggest standout, and his talent is pretty evident when you watch him play. He spent a lot of time playing with older peers on his way through the Serbian basketball system, so he shouldn’t have a huge issue adapting to a game full of 18- to 23-year-olds. There’s some work to be done on his outside shot, but he’s a solid ball handler who can finish at the rim, and has the potential to be elite on defense. I think by the end of the season, he should be UCLA’s best all-around player.”
What other newcomers do you anticipate will be most involved this season and why?
“Jaylen Petty is poised to start in the backcourt alongside Trent Perry, and he’s a player that seems grown in a lab to be a Mick Cronin guard. He’s very athletic, has a high motor, and gets after it on defense. He’s also a good outside shooter who can break down defenders a bit with the ball in his hands. He’s a guy that many in the program are high on, and since he’s only in his second year, he has plenty of room to grow.
“One other name that has popped is incoming freshman Joe Philon III. There weren’t a lot of expectations for the four-star coming into this year, given that his offensive game is a work in progress, but he showed out in both exhibitions, and I think his athleticism and tenacity on defense are going to earn him consistent minutes this year.”
What are the biggest concerns about this team going into the season?
“The interior of the UCLA defense is going to be a problem. Xavier Booker is entering his second season as a full-time post player, and the program is projecting plenty of growth on that front, but he has struggled with effort in the past. His backup is Filip Jovic, who is all of 6’8″, and while he is willing to bang around in the paint and shows good positional awareness on rebounding, having your backup at that height doesn’t feel great. Moving Eric Dailey back to his natural position at the four will help, and Kusturica has shown a propensity to be a good weakside shot blocker and secondary defender, but UCLA is going to have to be great at the point of attack to counteract their interior weakness.”
Mick Cronin enters his 8th season at UCLA, 3rd since moving to the Big Ten, and his .688 win percentage is the best since Jim Harrick (.756) from 1988-96. But since the Final Four run in 2021 and then back-to-back Sweet 16s the postseason results have dropped off. Is there any heat under his seat to win this season?
“The dynamics of UCLA basketball are fascinating from the inside. I think Cronin’s relationship with the average fan is a bit strained at this point; UCLA hasn’t won at a high level since the Jaquez years, and they haven’t played aesthetically pleasing basketball for much of that time either. The success of both the football team and the women’s basketball team, which made two straight Final Fours and won the championship last season, hasn’t helped either. At the same time, UCLA has a new athletic director, and Cronin’s relationship with the previous AD was famously frosty. The interesting part there is that the big donors sided with Cronin over the AD, who they saw as hampering efforts to build a modern program by slow-playing NIL. That forced the previous AD to sign an extension with Cronin where one wasn’t warranted. With the new AD, there’s definitely more of an incentive for Cronin to win sooner than later, though I’d hesitate to call this a hot seat at the moment. If UCLA can show improvement this year and unlock Kusturica in preparation for a bigger season next year, I think fans will accept it.”
Prediction time. Does Arizona take the final installment of this 3-game series, winning it 2-1, or does UCLA hand the Wildcats their first season-opening loss since 2006? Give us a score pick.
“I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel right playing this game right at the start of the year. This game should be played in February and should rotate between Pauley Pavilion and the McKale Center. The game should feel like “the fate of the known world is at stake”, as our dearly departed Bill Walton would say. Playing this early just feels wrong, like it’s a game that doesn’t matter.
“It also doesn’t help that neither team has played a meaningful game yet, so I have nothing to go off of for Arizona. I do think this UCLA team is good, but they’re going to take a bit to gel. If this had come in December, I might have felt more confident, but given this is the first game of the season, I think I’ll go with Arizona to win this, though I’d love to be wrong. Let’s say 87-78.”