UCLA women's basketball just got hit with the kind of news no defending champion wants a month before tipoff. Sophomore guard Lena Bilic, a player many expected to start for the Bruins this season, will miss all of 2026-27 after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament in practice.
UCLA announced the injury Sunday, as reported by the New York Post. Head coach Cori Close said the program is “devastated for Lena” but added that Bilic will remain impactful during her recovery while she receives care from UCLA's medical staff, per the same report. The timing stings: the Bruins are the reigning national champions, having beaten South Carolina 79-51 in Phoenix on April 5 to cap a 37-1 season and claim the program's first NCAA Division I title, according to UCLA Athletics.
Bilic's role as a freshman hinted at what UCLA was hoping to build on. She played exclusively off the bench, averaging 3.0 points and 1.4 rebounds in 12.1 minutes across 33 reserve appearances, and scored in double figures three times, including a career-high 14 points against Southern University on Nov. 23, 2025, according to UCLA Athletics' injury announcement. She also posted 13 points against Oregon in UCLA's Big Ten opener and closed the year with 21 assists, 13 steals and nine blocks, per the New York Post's reporting on the setback.
A Roster Already Stretched Thin
The injury lands at the worst possible moment for a program that must replace its top six scorers from last season's championship run. Bilic was one of just five returners on UCLA's 2026-27 roster from the title team, and only four of those five actually saw game action during the championship season, according to the Daily Bruin. That leaves sophomore center Sienna Betts and fifth-year forward Timea Gardiner among the few proven options left on the roster.
UCLA's exodus of talent traces directly back to a record-setting WNBA Draft night. The Bruins lost center Lauren Betts, forward Angela Dugalic, and guards Kiki Rice, Gabriela Jaquez and Gianna Kneepkens to the professional ranks, with all five selected in the first round, as the New York Post detailed. Lauren Betts went No. 4 overall to the Washington Mystics, and the six total Bruins drafted set a new program record, the station's report notes.
Transfers Step In to Fill the Void
With so much experience gone, Close turned to the transfer portal to rebuild the roster around Bilic's returning teammates. UCLA now relies on a transfer class including Elina Aarnisalo from North Carolina, Donovyn Hunter from TCU, KK Bransford from Notre Dame and Bonnie Deas from Arkansas, alongside freshman guard Somto Okafor, according to the same New York Post report. The Bruins also added Iowa State forward Addy Brown, described as a top-five transfer portal prospect, per TSN.
Sienna Betts is expected to step into a focal starting frontcourt role after averaging 14.1 minutes per game last season as a backup to her sister Lauren, according to TSN. Gardiner, a career 39% three-point shooter who redshirted UCLA's title run with a knee injury, is returning to action after roughly 16 months away from game competition — she last played in the 2025 NCAA Final Four against UConn, according to 247Sports.
Dominant Season, Now a New Challenge
UCLA's title run last season was built on near-total dominance. The Bruins went 18-0 in their debut Big Ten campaign, sweeping the regular-season and conference tournament titles while posting a +27.4 average scoring margin for the year, with their lone loss of the season coming against Texas in non-conference play, 247Sports reported separately.
Non-contact ACL tears like Bilic's are not uncommon in women's college basketball. Research from UAB Medicine indicates female college basketball players sustain ACL injuries at rates two to eight times higher than male athletes, with non-contact pivoting and deceleration accounting for most tears. Risk factors cited by UAB Medicine include landing mechanics, joint alignment, and quad-to-hamstring strength ratios.
UCLA will test its retooled roster in an exhibition against Cal on Oct. 14 before opening the regular season against Lehigh at Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 2. The Bruins will then hold a ring ceremony and raise their championship banner before facing Princeton on Nov. 15, giving fans their first extended look at how the pieces fit together without Bilic in the mix.
