The stage is set for No. 6 seed UCLA men’s basketball’s first game of the 2026 TIAA Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament, with No. 14 Rutgers returning to Chicago’s United Center to battle against the Bruins on Thursday.
Last time these two teams faced off, the Bruins outscored the Scarlet Knights by 32-points at the Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The star of the game was none other than junior forward Xavier Booker, who had a career night on offense with 24-points.
Much has changed since then for the Bruins with the rise of sophomore guard Trent Perry, the return of senior guard Skyy Clark, the emergence of redshirt senior guard Donovan Dent, and of course, Booker becoming a bench player and finding success.
However, things have changed for the Scarlet Knights as well, with junior guard Tariq Francis becoming a starter and putting up 29-points and making 5-of-7 three-pointers to lead the game in their second round matchup against No. 11 Minnesota.
In the Bruins previous matchup against the Scarlet Knights, UCLA managed to limit Francis’s explosiveness off the bench by holding him to 12-points in his 25 minutes.
No matter if Francis starts on the floor or comes off the bench, UCLA will need to be prepared for whatever Rutgers plans to throw at them, and there is no better way to do that than a consistent emphasis on defense to prevent an unglamorous exit for the Bruins.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA MBB faces Rutgers rematch in 2026 Big Ten Tournament debut
Reporting by Ryan Lorenz, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
