The UCLA men's basketball team just accomplished something John Wooden didn't even do.
The No. 15 Bruins dominated Arkansas-Pine Bluff 106-37 on Wednesday, Nov. 11; the 69-point margin of victory is a program record. Forward Nikola Kusturica continued his impressive start to the season, leading the team with 17 points, shooting 7-of-9, to go along with three rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes played. Four different Bruins scored in double figures. Eric Dailey Jr. had a game-high six rebounds while Trent Perry led in assists with 11.
As lopsided as the final score was for the Bruins, the halftime score might have been even wilder. They led the Golden Lions 51-9 through the first 20 minutes, the fewest points the team had allowed in over 50
years. UCLA raced out to that margin with a suffocating defense that overwhelmed Arkansas-Pine Bluff and forced 21 turnovers.
They kept the pressure on in the second half to force nine more takeaways and finished the game with 45 points off turnovers, more than the Golden Lions had in the entire game.
Nikola Kusturica is box office.
— marty🌹 (@chesneyera) November 12, 2026
If you haven’t invested stock already you’re late.#UCLA pic.twitter.com/orpjMBvfzn
The Bruins are now 3-0 on the season and have shown they can do more than beat up on mid-majors as they opened the year with an 84-75 upset win over Arizona in Las Vegas. That win shot UCLA up to a No. 15 debut on the USA TODAY Coaches Poll this week after opening the season unranked; the Wildcats, meanwhile, fell seven spots from No. 4 in the preseason rankings to 11th in the most recent poll.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UCLA men's basketball sets program record with 106-37 rout of Arkansas-Pine Bluff
