Matt Zemek
 | UCLA Wire
UCLA men’s basketball did not do well in nonconference play. The Bruins lost three games and did not grab a high-end win. Mick Cronin’s team must therefore compensate by thriving in Big Ten basketball competition this season. The Bruins need a huge Big Ten run to boost their NCAA Tournament seeding. The start of the Big Ten basketball winter poses some obvious challenges.
At Iowa Hawkeyes
The Bruins’ first game of 2026 is the start of their 2.5-month journey through the Big Ten. UCLA goes to Iowa City to play Ben McCollum’s defense-first Hawkeyes. This game figures to be a rockfight. UCLA probably won’t play a pretty game here, but what matters is getting a win any way the Bruins can.
At Wisconsin Badgers
The Bruins follow an Iowa road trip with a game in Madison against Wisconsin. This is not one of the best Badger teams we’ve seen, but Wisconsin in the Kohl Center is always tough.
Vs Maryland Terrapins
This is the home game UCLA should definitely win in early January. Maryland has struggled under new coach Buzz Williams.
Penn State is a game UCLA should absolutely win, but it’s on the road, and UCLA has not done well away from home so far this season.
At Ohio State Buckeyes
The Bruins play Bruce Thornton — one of the best scorers in the country — and an Ohio State team which has grabbed some good wins this season, including West Virginia and Northwestern.
Vs Purdue Boilermakers
On January 20, UCLA hosts a Purdue team which was a preseason top-five selection. The Boilermakers have been one of the best, most consistent programs over the past five years in college basketball. This is a huge challenge and a major opportunity for UCLA to get a high-end win on the resume.
Overview
If UCLA doesn’t at least go 4-2 in these six games, the Bruins are in real trouble. UCLA could really use a 5-1 record in these six games to boost its overall profile, but 4-2 is the absolute minimum expectation. If the Bruins go 3-3, they will be highly unlikely to get a high (top-5) NCAA Tournament seed in March.