UCLA has yet to play a ranked team since a late-game collapse to then-No. 5 Arizona on Nov. 14.

And in the squad’s 69-65 defeat at the hands of the Wildcats, the Bruins were outrebounded 35-28, prompting coach Mick Cronin to identify crashing the glass as a point of growth.

“We got to get better on rebounds. That’s what I learned,” Cronin said after the loss to Arizona.

Saturday could mirror the Arizona affair, as No. 25 UCLA men’s basketball (7-2, 2-0 Big Ten) will not only play its second-ranked opponent of the season in No. 8 Gonzaga (9-1) at the Climate Pledge Arena, but the Bruins will also play a Bulldogs’ squad that boasts the sixth-highest rebounding margin in the nation with +12.

And the key to competing with a squad that wins around the glass?

Toughness.

“We just got to be the tougher team,” said junior forward/center Xavier Booker. “We just got to compete with them. We just got to play to their level, play hard. It’s going to take everybody.”

But when the other side of the court features one of the most dominant frontcourts in the nation, commanding the paint may be difficult.

Gonzaga is led by 6-foot-10 forward Braden Huff and 6-foot-9 forward Graham Ike, who pace the team in scoring with 17 and 16.4 points per game, respectively.

Huff, who will most likely draw the attention of senior forward Tyler Bilodeau or Booker, achieves most of his production in the low post, using nifty footwork and touch around the rim to generate paint production. He also boasts good lateral quickness and the ability to take advantage of slower-footed big men.

Booker tabbed the key to dominating the glass Saturday is as simple as using both hands to corral the ball.

“Coach (Cronin) has gotten on everybody about that, even me specifically. Just continue to get better at it every day,” Booker said. “Make sure I’m boxing out my man first and making sure I’m grabbing the rebound with two hands.”

While Huff – who grabs 5.1 rebounds per game – may pose a challenge for Booker in the paint, Huff will have to respect Booker’s 3-point prowess, a facet of the forward/center’s game that opposing defenders have yet to respect.

“If you go off my stats last year, I didn’t shoot the ball the greatest, but as teams start to get film on me and start to see I made some threes, I definitely think they’ll start stepping out,” Booker said.

Ike, on the other hand, relies on his size to dominate the inside. Considering Huff guarded current Michigan and former UCLA center Aday Mara on Nov. 26, he will most likely take Booker, while Ike takes the more physical Bilodeau.

With Bilodeau and Booker’s hands full, redshirt senior center Steven Jamerson II will be integral off the bench in replenishing the frontcourt and adding an extra level of physicality and energy when he enters the game.

“I think Steve’s improving immensely because he has a great attitude and great effort. He is improving by leaps and bounds, which you can do when you show up every day,” Cronin said. “He is always going in the right direction, and he doesn’t take days off either. ”

And if Jamerson continues to be the Bruins’ spark plug, then the Westwood bunch could outmatch the Bulldogs’ frontcourt.

Joining the Bulldogs’ physical showing is guard Tyon Grant-Foster, who not only averages 12 points per game on a 48.6% field goal percentage but also adds 5.1 boards per game, which ranks second on the team behind Ike.

Junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. will most likely draw the attention of the 6-foot-7, 215-pound guard, a good matchup for both sides, particularly because both players dominate on the boards.

While Gonzaga’s frontcourt may pose problems for the UCLA big men, the Bruins’ guard play should have a favorable matchup against the Bulldogs.

A Bulldog guard has yet to start in more than 70% of the team’s games this season, with true freshman guard Mario Saint-Supéry starting in six of the team’s 10 affairs, guard Adam Miller starting in seven and guard Braeden Smith starting in four.

Miller and Saint-Supéry rank as the team’s fourth and fifth leading scorers, respectively. While Miller shoots an efficient 48.6% from the field and 34.8% from beyond the arc, he struggles to find production elsewhere, averaging just over one assist and just under two rebounds per contest.

If senior guard Donovan Dent matches Miller, Dent could have a much-needed bounce-back game after averaging 12 points on a 36.2% field goal percentage and 7.7% tally from beyond the arc this season.

Despite Dent’s slow start in Westwood, senior guard Skyy Clark said that he is continuing to encourage the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year.

“I keep reminding him of who he is,” Clark said. “I had a slow start when I first came here, and then as the season went on, it started to get a little uphill, so I just keep telling him about that and keep sticking with it.”

On the other side of the backcourt, Saint-Supéry is a sharpshooter who converts from beyond the arc 53.6% of the time. He is also the team’s main facilitator, pacing the squad with 50 assists and grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game.

Dent and Clark should be able to make their impact in the game obvious, given the tall task handed to Dailey, Booker and Bilodeau, and because of the inconsistent Bulldog backcourt.

The contest will start at 8:30 p.m.