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UCLA's Nikola Kusturica, just like Duke's Joaquim Boumtje Boumtje and Texas' Marcus Spears Jr., is a 17-year-old freshman who is so young that he won't be age-eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft. That's why the 6-foot-9 forward signed a multi-year agreement with the Big Ten school this past July, and this is all terrible news for every coach in the conference not named Mick Cronin, especially after what Kusturica did late Friday in a 114-63 win over North Florida.
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The former EuroLeague NextGen champion took 12 shots, made 10 of them and finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, one steal and zero turnovers in 23 minutes on the court. In the first half -- a first half, by the way, that featured the Bruins going on an incredible 35-0 run -- Kusturica had 26 points on 9-of-9 shooting, including 4 of 4 from 3-point range.
"It's all coaching," Cronin said afterward with a grin. "No, in all seriousness ... it's recruiting, buddy. It's recruiting. ... He's a great player. A great player. Not a good player. He's a great player because he does everything on the court. So, like what I'd tell you is he had no turnovers with the ball in his hands all that time, Nikola. Which is, for a freshman, unheard of. It's just unheard of."
Kusturica is now averaging 19.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in 31.0 minutes per game while shooting 56.5% from the field. The multi-talented Serbian is a projected top-three pick in the 2028 NBA Draft, along with Boumtje Boumtje and Spears, and is obviously a major reason why the Bruins remain No. 14 in Saturday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings.
Up next for UCLA is Wednesday's game against Arkansas Pine Bluff. The Bruins' next contest against a currently ranked opponent will likely come the day after Thanksgiving, when Cronin's team is expected to meet Texas in the championship game of the Rady Children's Invitational.
UT is No. 6 in the Top 25 And 1.
Biggest Movers
Rk |
Teams |
Chg |
Rcrd |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | Rueben Chinyelu finished with 21 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 88-57 win over Jacksonville. The Gators' next game is Tuesday at Florida State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 2 | Duke | Patrick Ngongba II finished with 28 points and nine rebounds in Thursday's 113-52 win over Coastal Carolina. The Blue Devils' next game is Tuesday against Michigan State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 3 | Illinois | Andrej Stojakovic finished with 25 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 112-70 win over Penn. The Illini's next game is Tuesday at Texas Tech. | -- | 2-0 |
| 4 | UConn | Braylon Mullins finished with 23 points and four rebounds in Friday's 85-77 win over Michigan. The Huskies' next game is Monday against Wagner. | -- | 2-0 |
| 5 | Kansas | Trey Kaufman-Renn finished with 17 points and four rebounds in Friday's 89-45 win over Middle Tennessee. The Jayhawks' next game is Tuesday against Kentucky. | -- | 2-0 |
| 6 | Texas | Matas Mokietaitis finished with 16 points and seven rebounds in Thursday's 98-50 win over Gardner-Webb. The Longhorns' next game is Monday against Grambling State. | -- | 2-0 |
| 7 | Michigan St. | Jasiah Jervis finished with 16 points and five rebounds in Thursday's 91-61 win over Toledo. The Spartans' next game is Tuesday against Duke. | -- | 2-0 |
| 8 | Louisville | Flory Bidunga finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 84-70 win over Chattanooga. The Cardinals' next game is Saturday against Morehead State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 9 | Virginia | Sam Lewis finished with 20 points and four assists in Friday's 97-72 win over Northeastern. The Cavaliers' next game is Sunday against Arkansas. | -- | 2-0 |
| 10 | Arkansas | Jeremiah Wilkinson finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 106-61 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Razorbacks' next game is Sunday against Virginia. | -- | 1-0 |
| 11 | Gonzaga | Davis Fogle finished with 22 points and five rebounds in Monday's 78-72 win over Purdue. The Zags' next game is Saturday against New Mexico State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 12 | St. John's | Keyshawn Hall finished with 26 points and nine rebounds in Monday's 78-63 win over Monmouth. The Red Storm's next game is Sunday against Iona. | -- | 1-0 |
| 13 | Houston | Dedan Thomas Jr. finished with 16 points and five assists in Monday's 94-55 win over La Salle. The Cougars' next game is Sunday against Cal. | -- | 1-0 |
| 14 | UCLA | Nikola Kusturica finished with 29 points and six rebounds in Friday's 114-63 win over North Florida. The Bruins' next game is Wednesday against Arkansas Pine Bluff. | -- | 2-0 |
| 15 | Arizona | Motiejus Krivas finished with 30 points and eight rebounds in Thursday's 104-84 win over Cal Poly. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Northern Arizona. | -- | 1-1 |
| 16 | Tennessee | DeWayne Brown II finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds in Tuesday's 90-59 win over Wofford. The Vols' next game is Monday against Radford. | -- | 1-0 |
| 17 | Texas Tech | Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn finished with 25 points and three rebounds in Thursday's 76-58 win over Bethune-Cookman. The Red Raiders' next game is Tuesday against Illinois. | -- | 2-0 |
| 18 | Miami | Shelton Henderson finished with 19 points and five assists in Friday's 83-57 win over Wagner. The Hurricanes' next game is Monday against North Alabama. | 1 | 1-1 |
| 19 | Kentucky | Zoom Diallo finished with 16 points and three rebounds in Friday's 89-80 win over James Madison. The Wildcats' next game is Tuesday against Kansas. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 20 | Alabama | Qayden Samuels finished with 17 points and three rebounds in Friday's 101-86 win over Arkansas State. The Crimson Tide's next game is Monday against Oakland. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 21 | Michigan | Elliot Cadeau missed eight of the 11 shots he attempted in Friday's 85-77 loss to UConn. The Wolverines' next game is Wednesday against Marquette. | 3 | 1-1 |
| 22 | USC | Adonis Ratliff finished with 25 points and six rebounds in Monday's 95-63 win over Milwaukee. The Trojans' next game is Sunday against Wichita State. | -- | 1-0 |
| 23 | BYU | Robert Wright III finished with 19 points and two steals in Friday's 108-67 win over Omaha. The Cougars' next game is Tuesday against Queens. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 24 | Vanderbilt | Tyler Tanner finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Thursday's 74-51 win over Wake Forest. The Commodores' next game is Tuesday against Memphis. | 1 | 2-0 |
| 25 | Nebraska | Pryce Sandfort finished with 20 points and five rebounds in Monday's 106-64 win over Le Moyne. The Cornhuskers' next game is Saturday against Providence. | NR | 1-0 |
| 26 | Saint Louis | Amari McCottry finished with 17 points and five assists in Friday's 90-84 win over Missouri. The Billikens' next game is Tuesday against Northern Kentucky. | NR | 2-0 |
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