Eric Freeny will be expected to make a leap in his sophomore year off of the bench for UCLA. His freshman year he didn’t see many opportunities in 2025. But when he did get playing time late in the season, he showed that he can be a capable defender and score a bit. Playing a key role in the Purdue game in the Big Ten tournament with UCLA missing both Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent. He scored eight points that game and knocked down two 3-pointers.
Eric Freeny is getting it done again off the bench for UCLA against USC. I recently wrote about his late-season surge for the Bruins:https://t.co/2tCxdmQzLr
— Ben Bolch (@calpostbbolch) March 8, 2026
Freeny also had 10 points and five rebounds in a win over USC late in the season. He has shown that he can knock down shots from long range. On limited attempts he shot 37% in 2025. That volume figures to go up in 2026 as he becomes a key piece coming off of the bench. That was an area that UCLA struggled with in the 2025 season and will need more bench scoring.
The goal is that Freeny took in as much as he could in the NCAA tournament run that he is ready to take another step. UCLA is still figuring out their roster but will need to replace 43 points per game with Skyy Clark, Bilodeau and Dent on the way out. Freeny upping his scoring total to 8-10 points per game would be huge for this team. His familiarity in Mick Cronin’s system will also help his game and development.
BREAKING: UCLA basketball's Eric Freeny (@freeny_eric) told Bruin Report Online in an exclusive interview that he'll return to the program for his redshirt sophomore year. Watch here: https://t.co/3u1FgmiluW
— Bruin Report Online (@BruinReport) April 1, 2026
Freeny played valuable minutes in the NCAA tournament run and although he wasn’t a prolific scorer. He provided the team with very good, tough defense and that is something that will play a big factor in 2026. Him and Brandon Williams were two players the Bruins were able to bring back for this season. They both are willing to do the dirty work and defend. While expected to grow their offensive game as well.
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