The Bruins are coming off a devastating double-overtime defeat at the hands of the Hoosiers, snapping the former’s unbeaten home record this season. But UCLA men’s basketball (15-7, 7-4 Big Ten) has a chance to bounce back at Pauley Pavilion when it faces Rutgers (9-13, 2-9) Tuesday evening. Daily Bruin Sports editor Connor Dullinger analyzes the Scarlet Knights’ starting lineup, along with their strengths and weaknesses.

Personnel:
Coach: Steve Pikiell
Starting lineup: Guard Jamichael Davis, guard Darren Buchanan Jr., guard Kaden Powers, forward Dylan Grant, center Emmanuel Ogbole
Best player: Forward Dylan Grant
X-factor: Guard Tariq Francis
KenPom ranking: No. 147
Adjusted offensive rating: 110.6 (No. 147)
Adjusted defensive rating: 109.1 (No. 151)
Adjusted tempo: 65.3 (No. 278)

UCLA should run Rutgers out of Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday night.

The Scarlet Knights are the lowest-ranked Power Five team in KenPom net rankings. They have just two conference wins and are riding a five-game losing streak heading into the Westwood affair.

Rutgers is led by guard Tariq Francis, who averages a team-high 16.7 points per game on a second-most 26.4 minutes per contest. Despite leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring, Francis mainly comes off the bench, serving as an energy spark rather than occupying a starting-five spot. Francis has not started an affair since Dec. 13.

Francis excels at catch-and-shoot 3-point attempts and, because of that, he can utilize a shot fake, rip through and drive into a pull-up midrange jumper if defenders close out hard on his shots. While the guard takes 4.2 long-range attempts per game, he shoots just 32.6% from downtown.

At 6-foot-1, Francis often does not finish through contact at the rim.

However, Francis has scored double-digit points in the last six contests, notching 26 against USC on Friday, 23 against then-No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 27 and 28 against Indiana on Jan. 23.

The Bruins will have to keep a close watch come Tuesday night.

While Francis runs the backcourt, forward Dylan Grant and center Emmanuel Ogbole man the frontcourt. The tandem averages 4.8 and 6.6 rebounds, respectively, and could see increased minutes at Pauley Pavilion given a Bruin frontcourt that has struggled with rebounding.

Grant is an athletic phenom, excelling in space and running toward the rim. The forward – who stands at 6-foot-8 and boasts the ability to run the court and jump out of the gym – will likely garner the defensive attention of junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr., who can mirror his energy, athleticism and tenacity on the boards.

Grant dunks almost everything around the rim and is not afraid of contact, often putting the ball back up for easy layups on offensive rebounds and drawing fouls. He is not an elite shooter, but can let it fly if he needs to, shooting 35.8% from beyond the arc.

Ogbole, on the other hand, boasts little offensive production, averaging just 4.4 points per game, but is an elite rim protector and rebounder, grabbing 6.6 rebounds per game and blocking 1.3 shots per contest. Ogbole’s game is not pretty, but he is good at what he excels at. He could cause problems for a team that has struggled to stifle opposing big men.

Defensively, the Bruins need to keep him out of the interior by exploiting his lack of mobility.

Joining Francis in the backcourt are guards Darren Buchanan Jr. and Jamichael Davis. Buchanan is a bigger guard, standing at 6-foot-7, and has a lightning-quick first step that covers a lot of ground given his long stride.

Buchanan is not a volume shooter, but still defenders close out hard on him, allowing him to initiate shot fakes and drive toward the time. The guard often gets the first step on defenders and uses his speed to beat the rotating help defender, which gives him easy looks at the rim.

Buchanan averages 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Given his and Grant’s athletic, driving-to-the-hoop nature, senior forward Tyler Bilodeau may have to guard outside his comfort zone.

Davis, on the other hand, plays as a true point guard and is the Scarlet Knights’ main facilitator, leading the team in minutes and assists per game, averaging 27.8 and 2.6, respectively. Davis is a speedy guard who can find the open shooter on drive-and-kicks, or he can get his own bucket using change of pace and crossovers to create open space.

While he struggles with efficiency, garnering just a 37.4% shooting clip, he is not afraid to pull up off the dribble from deep or knock down a catch-and-shoot long ball, sporting a 37.3% tally from beyond the arc.

Sophomore guard Trent Perry, senior guard Donovan Dent or even senior guard Skyy Clark – if he returns from injury Tuesday – could have their hands full tracking down Davis.

Guard Kaden Powers rounds out the starting five and Rutgers’ backcourt. Powers is probably the Scarlet Knights’ least-proven guard option, but the true freshman has settled into his role since the new year. He particularly excels on pull-ups from the wing or the elbow.

Powers has scored eight or more in eight of the last 10 games despite averaging just 5.9 points per game. Whoever does not take Davis will likely guard Powers on Tuesday night.