Sometimes, a fresh start is all you need.

After both teams missed out on the 2024 NCAA Tournament, a clean slate is just what was in order for the Bruins and the Huskies.

While the former added nine new faces and the Huskies – behind first-year head coach Danny Sprinkle – feature 11 newcomers this season, each teams’ brand new members have made an impact.

UCLA men’s basketball (6-1) will face its first conference foe as it hosts Washington (6-1) at Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night. The two former Pac-12 units will battle as Big Ten opponents for the first time as fresh faces litter both sides of the court.

“They’re really well coached,” said coach Mick Cronin. “You can see their improvement from their opening game against Davis to their last win against Santa Clara – extremely different team.”

The Bruins and Huskies’ respective seasons have closely mirrored one another so far.

The two squads have yet to face a ranked team, and each dropped a contest to a Mountain West program, with UCLA falling to New Mexico and Washington to Nevada. Both teams rebounded after their respective losses, rattling off five consecutive tallies in the win column.

However, one streak will come to an end Tuesday.

Since a lackluster defensive showing in the second half against Idaho State, UCLA tightened the screws – holding both Cal State Fullerton and Southern Utah to under 50 points. Against the latter, the Bruins forced 30 turnovers, recording the most they had in a game since 1999.

“We’ve been pretty good defensively these past games,” said junior forward Tyler Bilodeau. “But as the competition grows we got to keep working on that, emphasizing our defense.”

Washington’s offense primarily runs through forward Great Osobor and guard Tyler Harris – both of whom are in their first season in Seattle.

A tall task seems to await the Bruins, as the Huskies duo average 14.6 and 14.3 points per game, respectively, and are the only two members of the squad who average double figures.

“Obviously, Osobor is the player of the year in the Mountain West, they play through him,” Cronin said. “Harris is coming off some games where he’s made some shots.”

Osobor followed Sprinkle from Utah State once the latter elected to take the head coaching job at Washington. The decision to follow Sprinkle added depth to his game, as Osobor’s 10.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.3 steals per contest lead the team and would be his career highs.

UCLA’s offense, on the other hand, still seems stuck in second gear.

The Bruins have knocked down 48.2% of their field goal attempts this season – a major improvement over 41.9% last year – but still struggle beyond the arc.

“Your perimeter shooting comes and goes like your high school girlfriend does from 18 to 40 – in and out of your life, it’s just the way it is,” Cronin said. “You have to be consistent with everything else.”

As a team, UCLA has shot the three-ball at a clip of just 31.7% in 2024, down from last season’s 33.2% mark.

But among a group marred by inconsistency, Eric Dailey Jr. appears a stabilizing force.

“Coming from a basketball home, I was taught consistency, discipline, staying to routines,” the sophomore guard/forward said. “It’s just a mindset really, wanting to go out there and get better every day and improve on the little things.”

Dailey Jr. has produced five straight double-digit performances – the longest such streak of his collegiate career – albeit coming against lower-ranked opponents.

And with UCLA’s upcoming slate teeming with conference foes and nationally ranked opponents, improvement is a must for Cronin’s players.

“You got to try to win, but get better,” Cronin said. “If you’re not getting better, you’re going to have no shot in March.”