Mick Cronin didn’t need a tight game to start searching. Even in a comfortable 97–65 win over UC Riverside, UCLA’s head coach treated Tuesday afternoon like a lab experiment, one that may end up reshaping how the Bruins look heading into their Big Ten conference games.

With the Highlanders providing room to tinker, Cronin leaned heavily into lineup flexibility with plenty of mixing and matching, especially rolling out extended three-guard combinations. And if you were wondering if it was random, it wasn’t; it was intentional and potentially revealing a new look for the Bruins.

“We’re trying to get our best players on the court by any means,” Cronin said during a postgame interview. “You’ve got to figure out how to get your best players on the court.”

In their latest game, UCLA spent large stretches playing smaller, faster, and more guard-heavy than it has for most of the season. Xavier Booker and Steven Jamerson II struggled to hold ground defensively, and Cronin made it clear that minutes are no longer guaranteed by position alone.

“We’ve got to find a way to play our best players and win, whoever they are, because it’s not Little League,” Cronin said, “You’ve either got to give us some rebounding and defense or somebody else has got to play.” That “somebody else” increasingly looked like guards, and it worked.

Sophomore Trent Perry delivered one of his most encouraging performances of the season, finishing with 14 points, seven assists, and zero turnovers in 24 minutes. His composure allowed Cronin to pair him with starting point guard Donovan Dent in a three-guard setup that pushed pace and spacing.

“We’ve been pushing in transition a lot more,” Perry said. “We’re just finding the groove before Big Ten play.”

But this wasn’t just a one-off experiment. When asked about whether the three-guard lineup could stick, he said, “Yeah! Got to get your best players on the court somehow.”

Beyond Perry, UCLA’s bench made a strong case for expanded roles. Jamar Brown had four points, seven rebounds, and four steals, bringing energy and defensive versatility. Brandon Williams’ defensive reliability stood out enough to earn extended minutes in small-ball lineups.

Meanwhile, Tyler Bilodeau thrived as the offensive focal point regardless of position, as he erupted for a career-high 34 points on 12-of-19 shooting, repeatedly punishing UC Riverside when they failed to double him.

“They don’t double-team,” Cronin joked. “So I told him, ‘Go have fun. Keep going at the rim until you score.’”

According to KenPom, the Bruins now rank No. 27 nationally in offensive efficiency, their best mark since the 2022–23 season, as they average 80.4 points per game, while securing 32.8 rebounds per game.

While Mick Cronin’s team secured a 32-point win easily, Tuesday wasn’t about UC Riverside, but about identifying a version of this roster that can survive and thrive against bigger and more physical Big Ten opponents as they finish their non-conference games of the 2025-26 NCAA season.

What’s next for Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins?

With this win, the Bruins now sit at 10–3 on the season. Their three losses have come against the Arizona Wildcats, the California Golden Bears, and the Gonzaga Bulldogs, all games that exposed where this group still has ground to cover. And while UCLA is 0–2 against high-ranked opponents so far, the bigger test lies ahead, where lineup flexibility and consistency will be tested far more than they were against UC Riverside.

For now, the timing of the schedule offers a brief reset. With the holidays approaching, the Bruins will get a much-needed break before returning to action on January 3, when they open Big Ten play against the Iowa Hawkeyes. That matchup will begin a stretch that quickly ramps up in difficulty and leaves little room for experimentation.

Following Iowa, UCLA will face:

• Wisconsin Badgers on January 6th.
• Maryland Terrapins on January 10th.
• Penn State Nittany Lions on January 14th.

It’s a sequence that will demand clarity, not just in rotations but in identity, and the head coach knows that.

“All that matters is who you become, not in the last game or the game previous to that, so we’re on a search and just like every team, OK – it’s not who you are now, it’s who you are at the end, and can you get enough wins along the way and who you become at the end? That’s what it’s about… If you allow stuff to go wrong, you’re getting worse. We’re trying to get better. We’ve got to get a lot better,” Mick Cronin added.

And that search is about to get real. Once the new year begins, there will be fewer blowouts to hide behind and fewer possessions to learn on the fly, only results that either validate the flexibility Cronin is chasing or expose the gaps he’s still trying to close.