Five takeaways from UCLA MBB win over Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament

UCLA men's basketball takes down Rutgers 72-59 in the third round of the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at the United Center in Chicago on Thursday.

Bruins head coach Mick Cronin got his crew to advance to the fourth round of the tournament with their second win against Rutgers this season. Now, they have a chance to rewrite history as they have their rematch against Michigan State, a team that outscored the Bruins 82-59 in their previous matchup.

Here were five takeaways from their first win of the 2026 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament.

Bringing the heat

The Bruins started the game off slow and relied heavily on their defense to stop the Rutgers persistent offense. UCLA managed to get a grip of the lead ahead of halftime, but they led by six-points in a game where they could have built a comfy, double-digit lead ahead of the second half. Still, the Bruins came out swinging and continued to stack up points until the buzzer to win by 13-points.

Bilodeau's on fire

Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau led the game with his 21-points throughout his 29-minutes. Bilodeau was a consistent weapon all over the court as he made three of his seven three-point attempts and knocked down two more field goals. The only player on the Bruins to score more field goal's than the big man was redshirt senior guard Donovan Dent, who had a historic night for himself.

Big Ten History

Dent made Big Ten Tournament history as the first player to earn a triple double in the history of the tournament. The veteran point guard scored 12-points in his 39-minutes while making six of his 14 field goals as well as snagging 10 rebounds, 12 assists and a steal. The progress Dent has made in the Big Ten and Cronin's system has been significant and his ability on the court to protect the ball and be a superstar for UCLA has seemingly moved the Bruins to be a true threat in the tournament.

Rebounding machines

Dent wasn't the only Bruin to put effort towards rebounding with UCLA outrebounding Rutgers by 10 with 40 rebounds to the Scarlet Knights 30. UCLA's best rebounder was Dent, the star of the night, but junior guard Eric Dailey Jr. was right behind him with six, followed by Bildoeau's five and sophomore guard Trent Perry's four. The Bruins had struggled outrebounding their opponents at points throughout the season, but they will need to continue to bring the same level of intensity throughout the rest of the tournament.

Where'd they struggle?

UCLA didn't get the 32-point blowout that they did last time they faced Rutgers, but they did enough to win. That being said, the Bruins did not have their most effective night shooting the ball. Shooting 38 percent from the field and 30 percent from the three-point mark is not terrible, but UCLA averaged 47.2 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, according to ESPN. The Bruins beat Rutgers, but they will need to step up their shooting efforts against the Spartans if they want to continue in the tournament.

This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: Five takeaways from UCLA MBB defeating Rutgers in Big Ten Tournament