March 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin directs his team against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the first half at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Image UCLA suffered its second-worst loss of the season when it was defeated by Michigan State on February 17th.
The Bruins bounced back, winning five of six games. They’ll get to see the third-seeded Spartans once again Friday night when the team plays in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament in Chicago.
UCLA coach Mick Cronin is happy his team is alive in the tournament, but he’s not so happy that the sixth-seeded Bruins (22-10) will face Tom Izzo-led Michigan State (25-6).
“They took us to the shed in the woods last time,” Cronin said of the 82-59 loss in East Lansing, Michigan. “This will be a good game for us, we have some skilled players but we have had physical problems, that is no secret.
“…They’re the hardest-playing team because they have a legendary Hall of Fame coach. It’s going to be a big challenge for us.”
Michigan State led by a whopping 31 points in the Bruins dismantling. Jeremy Pierce Jr. had 16 points and 10 assists, and Koen Carr also had 16 points.
Fears significantly outperformed UCLA’s Donovan Dent. He had just 6 points on 3-of-11 shooting and had the same number of assists (4 each) as he had turnovers.
But that disappointing night seems to have sparked the dent. His play since then has been excellent, recording 65 assists against four turnovers over six games.
In Thursday’s 72-59 third-round win over 14th-seeded Rutgers, Dent had 12 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds to record the first triple-double in Big Ten tournament history and the fifth triple-double in UCLA basketball history.
Legends Bill Walton (1973), Jelani McCoy (1995), Toby Bailey (1995) and Kyle Anderson (2013) are other Bruins who have recorded triple-doubles.
“I feel really good, thanks to my teammates who helped me get the assists,” Dent said. “I was crashing into the boards because coach was preaching to us at halftime to get offensive rebounds and extra possessions.”
No. 8 Michigan State began a five-game winning streak with a win over UCLA, but it ended with a 90-80 loss to No. 3 Michigan on Sunday.
Jackson Koller had 23 points and eight rebounds against the Wolverines and is averaging 19.7 points and 9.3 rebounds over his last three games.
The senior is in his fourth season playing for the Spartans and knows Izzo’s philosophy relies on veterans during March.
“The biggest thing for me is trying not to let the idea that I’m going to be tired stay in my head,” Koller said. “When I hear those words, they unconsciously remain in my mind.
“But if you keep that attitude and mindset of, ‘Hey, it’s just one game at a time, one game at a time. There’s no practice, it’s just practice,’ it helps conserve energy and helps you focus on recovery.”
Another fourth-year senior big man, Carson Cooper, has scored 12 or more points in five of the last six games. He is motivated knowing that the final game is close.
“I feel pretty good,” Cooper said. “Just knowing it’s the last challenge gives you a bit of energy. Last year you may have taken something for granted, but here we are for next year. But now there’s no time to be tired.”
Fears played a team-high 31.9 minutes per game, led the team in scoring (15.5 points per game) and led the team in assists (9.1 points per game) this week.
“We want to play until Sunday and try to do something special,” said Fears, who has his sights set on the tournament title game.
–Field level media
