After missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in his five seasons as head coach at UCLA, Mick Cronin hit the transfer portal last spring looking to rebuild the UCLA men’s basketball roster. Cronin brought in six transfers, with four of them earning starting roles with the 2024-2025 Bruin’s men’s basketball team.
After a slow start, the Bruins have found their groove, and it was all on display last Thursday in a 78-52 runaway victory over the No. 16 ranked Oregon Ducks before 9,288 fans at Pauley Pavilion in Westwood. The Bruins never trailed in the game, led at halftime 40-26 and cruised to their fifth consecutive win, improving their record for the season to 16-6.
UCLA swept the two-game season series from the Ducks. The loss dropped the Ducks to 16-5 for the season. Forward Eric Dailey, Jr., a 6-foot-8 transfer from Oklahoma State, led the Bruins in scoring with 21 points, hitting 8 of 9 field goal attempts and going 3 for 3 on three-point attempts. Dailey is the second leading scorer on the team and his energy is infectious.
UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau, a 6-foot-9 transfer from Oregon State, leads the Bruins in scoring. He had 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against the Ducks. Guard Kobe Johnson, a 6-foot-6 transfer from USC, leads the Bruins in rebounding, assists, and steals. Johnson was a two-time Pac-12 All-Defense selection at USC. Johnson added 9 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in the victory.
Bruin guard Skyy Clark, a 6-foot-3 transfer from Louisville, led the Bruins with five assists in the victory and more importantly, played great defense, holding Oregon’s leading scorer, Jackson Shelstad, scoreless in the game. These four transfers, all starters, have added experience, athleticism, and a toughness that the Bruins lacked last season.
UCLA center Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 recruit from Spain, continues to improve in his second season in Westwood. Mara had seven points, which included a couple of dunks, three terrific blocks, one leading to a fast break layup by Johnson, and an outlet pass reminiscent of UCLA great Bill Walton to Dailey for a fast break dunk.
Guard Dylan Andrews added 15 points, hitting 3 of 5 three-point attempts as he continues to improve each week. A big difference in the victory for the Bruins in this game was their three-point shooting. The Bruins made 11 of their 23 three-point attempts, while the Ducks made just 4 of 23 on their three-point attempts. The ball movement in the half court offense has improved significantly as the players have become more comfortable with their roles and each other.
“Obviously, we jumped on them early,” Cronin said after the game. “I thought that was the key. We came out of the gate highly efficient on offense. Our defense got a little better as the game went on. Very proud of our guys for this stretch of games. It has been a long grind for us since December, since we started the Big Ten.”
Cronin continued to talk about the game. “I am really happy with our 19 assists. Our point guard play is elevating. Dylan’s playing great. Skyy’s got five assists. His defense is elite. But Eric Dailey was pretty dominant. Eric Dailey spends more time in the gym on his shooting and he is the most dedicated guy that I have coached on his diet, on his rest, his commitment to what he is trying to accomplish in basketball. He was a backbreaker when it was still a game. He broke their back numerous times with his shots.”
The Bruins will be in action again on Tuesday, February 4, at Pauley Pavilion to take on the Michigan State Spartans. The game will begin at 7:00 pm and will be televised on the Peacock Network. The Spartans are in first place in the Big Ten Conference with a 9-1 record. They have an overall record of 18-3 and are ranked 7th in the nation.
The Spartans are a team that prides themselves on being tough. They are second in the 18 team Big Ten Conference in rebounding and first in blocked shots. They have struggled with their long-range shooting, making just 28.9 % of their three-point attempts, which is last in the Big Ten Conference.
The two teams last met on March 18. 2021 in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, with the Bruins winning 86-80 in overtime. That game was a tough physical matchup with the Bruins holding their own on the boards. This game should be another tough battle between two physical teams, with the Bruins hoping they can continue to shoot well from three-point range, which could be the difference in extending their current winning streak.