How To Watch, Game Preview and Game Thread: UCLA Bruins vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
After losing to Indiana in double OT on Saturday, the Bruins will look to bounce back with a home game against Rutgers.
After a few days off following a tough double overtime loss to Indiana, the UCLA men’s basketball team returns to action tonight when the Bruins host the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Pauley Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 6:30 pm and the game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean on the call.
Rutgers is still being coached by Steve Pikiell. He’s now in his tenth season at the helm for the Scarlet Knights and he’s compiled a record of 156-153 at the school. But he may be on thin ice as Rutgers looks headed to their third straight losing season. While he didn’t receive the dreaded vote of confidence, his athletic director just promised him more resources for things like NIL.
Pikiell will probably start a lineup consisting of three guards, a forward, and a center.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights’ Starting Five
Interestingly, Rutgers’ best player probably won’t start tonight. Junior guard Tariq Francis averages 16.7 ppg and he’s tied for the lead in steals with 22, but he hasn’t started since Rutgers played Seton Hall on December 13, even though he’s played in every game. So, you should still expect to see him a lot tonight even if he isn’t in the starting lineup. He is averaging more minutes than any player on the roster except guard Jamichael Davis.
Speaking of Davis, he leads the Scarlet Knights in assists with 58 but is only averaging 7.6 ppg.
The second starting guard will be Darren Buchanan, Jr. He’s averaging 8.2 ppg and he has the highest three-point percentage among the starters, but he’s only tried 23 threes.
The final starting guard will be freshman guard Kaden Powers. While Powers is only averaging 5.9 ppg overall, he did score nine against Southern Cal on Saturday.
The leading scorer among the starters is forward Dylan Grant. Grant is averaging 11.2 ppg, which makes him the only other player on the team besides Francis who is averaging in double figures. He’s also second on the team in rebounds with an average of 4.8 rpg.
The final starter will be senior center Emmanuel Ogbole. He leads the team in both blocks with 28 and rebounds with an average of 6.6 rpg.
In addition to Francis, the two guys who will see the most time of the bench are Harun Zrno and Lino Mark. Zrno is averaging 6.7 ppg and his 105 three-point attempts are more than anyone else on the team. He has a 33.3% three-point percentage. Mark is averaging just 3.3 ppg.
Analysis
Let’s be honest. Rutgers is a bad team.
The good news is that UCLA should cruise to an easy win tonight.
The flip side, of course, is that if UCLA struggles tonight, then their chances of making the NCAA Tournament are pretty slim.
That said, I fully expect them to beat the Scarlet Knights easily.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
Today’s game will be broadcast on Big Ten Network and streamed on FoxSports.com with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean on the call. Of course, you can opt to listen to Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray on the radio or streamed on uclabruins.com instead. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your UCLA men’s basketball vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream today’s game:
UCLA Men’s Basketball (15-7, 7-4)
Opponent: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-13, 2-9)
Series Record: Series tied, 2-2
When: 6:30 pm PT, Tuesday, February 3, 2026
Where: Pauley Pavilion, Los Angeles, CA
TV: BTN with Guy Haberman and Don MacLean
Live Stream: FoxSports.com and the Fox Sports app
Radio/Audio
Local Radio: KABC AM 790 with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 380 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.
Lonzo’s here, so we secretly replaced Mick Cronin with Steve Alford to see if anyone would notice.
Big minutes for Jamerson here, who has struggled with defensive consistency and seen his minutes disappear as a result.