UCLA
10-5,2-2Big Ten
Wisconsin
10-5,2-2Big Ten
UCLA Falls at Wisconsin, 80-72
January 06, 2026 | Men's Basketball
MADISON, Wis. – The UCLA men's basketball team dropped an 80-72 decision at Wisconsin in a Big Ten contest at Kohl Center on Tuesday evening.
In their first basketball game at the University of Wisconsin since December of 1962, UCLA (10-5, 2-2 Big Ten) trailed at halftime, 45-31, and never got any closer than seven points in the second half. The Bruins trailed by as many as 20 points in the first half against Wisconsin (10-5, 2-2) and recorded back-to-back losses for the first time all season.
"When you give away 15 to 20 points, because we just didn't get back and get matched up, you can't win," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "It's literally like saying Wisconsin is up 20, and now let's tip it off and try to beat them. You are just giving those points away. You see what happens when we get back and get matched up, play solid defense and you get stops."
Eric Dailey Jr. scored a team-high 18 points for the visiting Bruins. He was one of four UCLA players to score in double figures. Dailey Jr. shot 9-for-17 from the field and added eight rebounds. Tyler Bilodeau recorded 16 points and nine rebounds. Trent Perry added 15 points, while Donovan Dent had 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
Wisconsin's Nick Boyd led all scorers with 20 points. He registered eight rebounds and five assists. Three other players for Wisconsin also recorded at least 10 points.
Dailey Jr. cut the Bruins second-half deficit to nine points, at 58-49, when he sank a pull-up jump shot fro the wing. He scored 10 points over the first 10 minutes of the second half, helping to reduce Wisconsin's lead to seven points on the next possession. A mid-range jump shot cut UCLA's deficit to 60-53 with 9:13 to play in the contest.
The Bruins limited the Badgers to 37 percent shooting on Tuesday night, and 2-for-14 from behind the 3-point line in the second half. UCLA opened the second half on a 6-0 scoring run to close the gap to nine points, 45-36. Wisconsin responded with a run of its own and re-established a 15-point cushion, at 51-36, four minutes into the second half.
Wisconsin took a 45-31 lead into the halftime break. The Badgers shot 53 percent from the field in the opening half and finished 8-for-16 from behind the arc. The Bruins, in turn, struggled from deep in the opening half, finishing 0-for-10 from the 3-point line before the intermission.
The Bruins sank three baskets in a row to get back within 15 points, 33-19, with 6:33 remaining in the first half. Dent caused havoc on both ends of the floor during the run, scoring two baskets at the rim. He forced a turnover by Wisconsin before Jamar Brown scored a bucket.
Wisconsin hit three of their first five attempts from behind the 3-point line and utilized a 10-0 run to take a 13-4 lead six minutes into the contest.
The Bruins will host Maryland on Saturday, Jan. 10. Game time at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial is 5 p.m. (PT). Game time in Los Angeles is set for 5 p.m. (PT). The Bruins' game will be nationally televised by FOX.
