Tag: UCLA

WHO: UCLA Bruins (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten)

WHEN: 8:00 PM CT (Friday, January 17, 2025)

WHERE: Pauley Pavilion (Los Angeles, CA)

TV: FS1 (Guy Haberman and Don MacLean)

RADIO: Hawkeye Radio Network (Gary Dolphin, Bobby Hansen)

MOBILE: foxsports.com/mobile

ONLINE: foxsports.com/live

FOLLOW: @HawkeyeBeacon | @IowaHoops | @CBBonFOX | @IowaonBTN

LINE: UCLA -6.5 (total of 151.5)

KENPOM: UCLA -5 (UCLA 66% chance of winning)

Iowa‘s Los Angeles road trip wraps up with a game against a reeling UCLA team; the Bruins started the season ranked in the Top 25 (#22) and jumped out to a 11-2 start, including wins over Washington, Oregon and Gonzaga. UCLA remains winless in 2025, though, and enters Friday night’s game on a four-game losing streak.

One common denominator in most of those losses? Three of four were away from Pauley Pavilion; only a 94-75 loss to Michigan was at home. UCLA’s losses against Nebraska, Maryland, and Rutgers all occurred on the road. There was some doubt about tonight’s game being played in Pauley Pavilion, due to the recent wildfires that have ravaged the L.A. area, but the game is set to tip off at 8:00 PM CT in UCLA’s historic home.

G Brock Harding (6’0″, 165 lbs; 9.4 ppg, 1.6 rpg, 6.0 apg; 49.3 FG%; 45.5 3FG%)

G Josh Dix (6’6″, 210 lbs; 13.3 ppg; 3.6 rpg; 2.8 apg; 53.4 FG%; 39.6 3FG%)

G Drew Thelwell (6’3″, 195; 8.9 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 3.2 apg, 55.3 FG%, 38.2 3FG%)

F Payton Sandfort (6’8″, 215 lbs; 16.5 ppg; 5.8 rpg; 3.4 apg; 40.7 FG%; 33.7 3FG%)

C Owen Freeman (6’10”, 245 lbs; 17.1 ppg; 6.5 rpg; 1.5 apg; 66.1 FG%; 40.0 3FG%)

G Skyy Clark (6’3″, 210 lbs; 6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 2.6 apg, 43.0 FG%, 32.6 3FG%)

G Kobe Johnson (6’6″, 200 lbs; 8.1 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 3.2 apg, 45.1 FG%, 33.3 3FG%)

F Lazar Stefanovic (6’7″, 190 lbs; 6.3 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 0.5 apg, 44.0 FG%, 38.3 3FG%)

F Eric Dailey (6’8″, 230 lbs; 11.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 1.8 apg, 51.5 FG%, 38.1 3FG%)

F Tyler Bilodeau (6’9″, 230 lbs; 14.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.4 apg, 48.9 FG%, 38.8 3FG%)

UCLA’s calling card this season has been its defense — the Bruins rank 11th nationally in defensive efficiency and 18th in points allowed (63.4 ppg). The biggest strength of that defense has been forcing turnovers — the Bruins are best in the country, generating turnovers on 25.1% of opponent possessions. UCLA has forced steals on 12.8% of opponent possessions (26th nationally) and earned non-steal turnovers on 12.2% of opponent possessions (1st). That aggressive defensive approach has one obvious downside, though — UCLA has given up a lot of fouls and ranks 289th in defensive free throw rate.

The Bruins have also been solid at contesting shots (holding teams to 48.9% effective FG%) and keeping opponents off the glass. Teams have made 31.7% of 3-point tries (101st) against UCLA and 49.9% of 2-point attempts (145th). The Bruins don’t block a ton of shots (8.6% block rate, 206th) and they’ve allowed opponents to pick up just 28.3% (105th) of their missed shots.

UCLA hasn’t been as good on the offensive end, as they rank 100th in offensive efficiency for the season; the Bruins have been even worse in league play, as they rank just 17th in offensive efficiency in Big Ten-only games. Those offensive struggles have mainly manifested in poor shooting — UCLA has an effective FG% of just 47.3% in Big Ten games, including 29.5% from behind the arc and 49.1% on 2-point shots. The Bruins haven’t even hit free throws at a good clip in Big Ten games, converting just 68.6% of their trips to the free throw line.

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“I’ve been impressed with a number of different things,” Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery said at his press availability earlier this week.

“[UCLA head coach Mick Cronin has] got some transfers, got some new guys. The thing that is fairly characteristic of his teams — they play hard, they play defense, they compete. They put pressure on the ball. They share it, they have a number of different weapons. They have shooters on the perimeter, Bilodeau’s a really good player inside. They have a lot different players that impact the game, not only who start but come off the bench.”

As McCaffery noted, Iowa has used a deep rotation of players this season — 10 players are averaging 9+ minutes, with seven guys playing 18+ minutes per game. Only three players are averaging double figures in scoring, seven are averaging over six points per game. This is a team with a multitude of players who can get hot and make things difficult for a defense — a potentially ominous sign for an Iowa team coming off another lackluster defensive performance in its 99-89 loss to USC on Tuesday.

The main standout among that rotation has been forward Tyler Bilodeau, an Oregon State transfer who leads the team in scoring (14.4 ppg) and ranks second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). Bildeau has a solid inside-out game, as he’s converted 52.5% of his shots from inside the arc as well as 38.8% from beyond the arc as well.

Fellow forward Eric Dailey, an Oklahoma State transfer, has been the other half of the 1-2 punch down low. He ranks second on the team in scoring (11.6 ppg) and third in rebounding (4.4 rpg) and, like Bildeau, he’s a threat to score at multiple levels — he’s made 57.8% of his 2-point tries and 38.1% of his long range efforts as well.

Bildeau and Dailey have been two of UCLA’s most frequent long-range shooters, alongside guards Kobe Johnson and Dylan Andrews. Johnson, a USC transfer, is fourth on the team in scoring (8.1 ppg), but he actually leads the team in rebounding (5.7 rpg), assists (3.2 apg), and steals (2.0 spg), while shooting 56.9% on 2-point attempts and 33.3% on 3-point tries.

Andrews (6’2″, 180) started 13 games for UCLA this season, but came off the bench in UCLA’s loss at Rutgers on Monday night. For he year, he’s averaging 6.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg, and 2.4 apg, while shooting 52.8% inside the arc and 29.8% beyond the arc. Andrews was replaced in the starting lineup by Lazar Stefanovic, a Utah transfer two seasons ago, who had eight points, two rebounds, and an assist in 30 minutes against the Scarlet Knights.

Guard Sebastian Mack (6’3″, 200) has started just one game this season, but he’s been a potent source of offense for the Bruins off the bench, averaging 10.1 ppg, as well as 2.0 rpg and 2.0 apg. Finally, Skyy Clark, a Louisville transfer, has been the fifth regular starter for UCLA this season, averaging 6.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, and 2.6 apg while shooting 52% inside the three-point line and 32.6% beyond the arc.