2026-27 Big Ten offseason at a glance: UCLA Bruins

Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2026-27 season.

Up next: UCLA (24-12 overall in 2025-26, 13-7 in Big Ten play)

Previously: Penn State, Rutgers, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Wisconsin, Iowa, Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, USC, Indiana

Despite Mick Cronin’s constant digs at the travel schedule as a West Coast team playing in the Big Ten, UCLA put together another strong campaign last winter.

The Bruins finished six games over .500 in league play and only lost one home game all season. Wins against Purdue, Illinois and Nebraska were more than enough to solidify an NCAA tournament bid for Cronin, his fifth in seven seasons as the head coach in Westwood.

Looking ahead to the 2026-27 season, there’s no reason to expect any drastic change in performance with UCLA next winter. Despite a few key roster losses, the Bruins retained several key pieces. Cronin is one of the better defensive coaches in the country, which gives UCLA a relatively high floor each season.

The most recent Bart Torvik projections for next season have UCLA at No. 21 nationally.

UCLA roster movement

Players returning with eligibility: Trent Perry, Eric Freeny, Eric Dailey Jr., Xavier Booker, Brandon Williams

Players departing due to NBA Draft/professional route/out of eligibility: Skyy Clark, Steven Jamerson II, Jamar Brown, Donovan Dent, Tyler Bilodeau

Players who departed via transfer portal: None

Players arriving via transfer portal: Filip Jovic (from Auburn), Sergej Macura (from Mississippi State), Jaylen Petty (from Texas Tech), Azavier Robinson (from Butler)

Incoming freshmen: Joe Philon, Javonte Floyd

What to like about UCLA

The Bruins lost their two leading scorers in Dent and Bilodeau to graduation, but the return of Perry, who is entering his junior season, is a big deal for UCLA.

Expect Perry, who averaged 12.6 points, three rebounds and 2.8 assists in 29.9 minutes per game last season, to be one of the best guards in the Big Ten next season. He shot 39.2 percent on 3s and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line as a sophomore and with the graduation of Dent, the Bruins will put an even bigger load on his shoulders.

The return of Dailey Jr., one of the most versatile frontcourt players in the league, is also crucial. At 6-foot-8, Dailey Jr. can guard multiple positions and averaged a solid line of 11.6 points and 5.8 rebounds in 27.6 minutes per game as a junior. The duo of Perry and Dailey Jr. is an excellent starting point for Cronin to build another NCAA tournament team.

Two newcomers to watch arrive via the transfer portal. The Bruins welcome Texas Tech transfer guard Jaylen Petty and Auburn transfer forward Filip Jovic into the rotation, and both are projected to start.

Petty, a native of Seattle, averaged 9.9 points in 30.5 minutes per game last season at Texas Tech and made 22 starts. He’ll likely be Perry’s running mate in a new look Bruin backcourt. And Jovic, a 6-foot-8 forward, made nine starts last season at Auburn and averaged 6.3 points and four rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. He could start up front alongside Dailey Jr. and Xavier Booker, who is back for his senior season.

What to question with UCLA

The Bruins are counting on Perry and Dailey Jr. to take significant steps forward with their production next winter to replace Dent, Bilodeau and Skyy Clark, who all averaged in double figures.

By season’s end, Dent was playing at an All-Big Ten level and Bilodeau was a savvy veteran averaging nearly 18 points per game. Both players were instrumental in UCLA’s success and will be difficult to replace.

While the guard rotation looks set with Perry and Petty, questions remain up front beyond Dailey Jr.

Will Booker develop more consistency in his final season? Is Jovic ready for more minutes? Can Mississippi State transfer Sergej Macura and returnee Brandon Williams provide productive rotation minutes consistently? Cronin will figure it out – he’s one of the better coaches in the league – but it may take some time to figure out the minutes allocation.

UCLA’s outlook for the 2026-27 season

Here’s the UCLA Big Ten schedule for next season:

Home: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin

Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers

Home/Away: Oregon, USC, Washington

UCLA is in the pack of teams expected to finish in the top half of the conference. The Bruins aren’t in the same tier as league frontrunners Michigan, Illinois and Michigan State, but are definitely in the next group.

How good UCLA is next season will depend largely on how big a leap Perry takes as a junior and whether the Bruins can improve defensively. Last season, UCLA finished just inside the top 50 in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom.com. Cronin’s best UCLA teams have boasted top 20 defenses.

After two straight seasons of losing in the second round of the NCAA tournament, UCLA fans will be hungry for a trip to the second weekend next spring. The further Cronin is removed from his run to the Final Four back in 2021, the more pressure will intensify for postseason success at a program that holds the most national championships in the history of the sport.

See More: Commentary, 2026-27 Big Ten preview, UCLA Bruins