LOS ANGELES — Before the season, UCLA men’s basketball coach Mick Cronin revealed that Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. would be shifting positions: Bilodeau moving down to the four, Dailey to the three. These are their natural positions, Cronin said, insisting Bilodeau wouldn’t see much time at the five nor Dailey at the four – where each started last year.
Thirteen games into the season, Cronin has adapted out of necessity as his transfer portal acquisitions at center have struggled to protect the rim.
“Trying to get your best players on the court by any means,” Cronin said after the game.
On Tuesday afternoon, that meant the 6-foot-9 Bilodeau returned to being the tallest Bruin on the floor with the 6-8 Dailey and 6-7 Brandon Williams playing the majority of the game alongside him. The smaller lineup configurations allowed Bilodeau to operate against mismatches as he scored a career-high 34 points to lead UCLA to a 97-65 victory over UC Riverside in the Bruins’ final nonconference game.
“He gets more open shots when he’s playing the five because the other team’s five-man is guarding him,” Cronin said.
Bilodeau used his footwork to scurry past bigger defenders and his height to shoot over shorter opponents. He scored on consecutive possessions to start the second half, spinning past a defender for an and-one and bullying another for a layup. He hit an impressive fadeaway 3-pointer for his 30th point. He baited his man with nifty ball fakes for his final two baskets before exiting the game with three minutes left to the applause from those at Pauley Pavilion.
Bilodeau scored 21 in the second half, part of the Bruins’ 52-point outburst to help pull away from UC Riverside, which stayed even with the Bruins for the first seven minutes before trimming a 17-point deficit to 45-34 at halftime.
“We have Big West play,” said Highlanders coach Gus Argenal, whose Highlanders resume their conference slate with a Jan. 1 home game against Hawai’i.
“Our next 18 games and we’ll be fighting. We are 1-1 [in conference play] now, so we’re in the middle of the pack. We want to be playing our best basketball in February, leading up to March and trying to compete for a Big West Championship.”
All four of Bilodeau’s 3-pointers came in catch-and-shoot situations, three of which were assisted by Trent Perry.
Perry played a significant role Tuesday as Cronin left a handful of reserves in for the majority of the first half.
After UCLA (10-3) got out to another flat start, Cronin opted for a platoon swap. Steven Jamerson II replaced Xavier Booker, but was pulled 11 seconds later after allowing a look inside. Booker returned, but was replaced soon thereafter as neither he nor Jamerson could fulfill the role of a rim-protecting bruiser.
Williams continued to step up, earning playing time and Cronin’s trust. He logged 16 minutes on Friday as UCLA matched Cal Poly’s five-out playing style and played 18 minutes Tuesday as the Bruins’ most productive paint defender.
Osiris Grady scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting to lead the Highlanders (6-8), who connected on just 20% of their 3-point shots (3 for 15) and committed 22 turnovers.
“Osiris Grady really stood out,” Argenal said of the junior forward.
UCR went on an 8-0 run midway through the second half, cutting the margin to 12. Grady attacked the hoop, lofting a shot over Jamerson and converting an and-one, ultimately forcing another quick hook as Cronin rewarded the mistake with a seat on the bench.
As part of the reserves movement, Perry and Jamar Brown played the final 13 minutes of the first half while their counterparts, Dailey and Donovan Dent, spent that time on the bench. Brown and Perry offered a fight that those specific starters didn’t bring.
Brown crashed the glass from the perimeter to put back Williams’ miss. On the following possession, he intercepted a pass, turning it into a fast-break layup. Later in the first half, he dove for a loose ball, saving a possession which resulted in an and-one for Bilodeau. In the second half, he grabbed another offensive rebound and forced a jump ball that went UCLA’s way.
Brown earned praise from Skyy Clark as the Bruins’ “hardest-playing player” earlier this month and showed why Tuesday.
Perry initiated the offense, setting up Williams for a left-wing 3-pointer and Bilodeau for one from the same spot. Playing out of the pick-and-roll, he got to the basket for an and-one floater. He also came off a down screen from Bilodeau, grabbed a handoff from Booker and hit a right-wing 3-pointer.
He finished with 14 points and seven assists, his vision a crucial part of Bilodeau’s eruption.
“This game, I was trying to get my assists up a little bit and make plays and work on my decision-making,” Perry said.
His production, as well as Brown’s, allowed UCLA to lean into its three-guard lineup. A configuration, Perry explained, that offers more space for half-court offense and increased transition opportunities.
The Bruins’ strength is their offense, and it has only improved when they spread the floor. On Friday, they leaned into that advantage. Cronin alluded that they might continue to do so, regardless of the size of some of their Big Ten opponents.
Conference play resumes Jan. 3 for the Bruins with a trip to Iowa. So rather than continue to develop Booker and Jamerson, hoping they work through their lapses, Cronin and the Bruins might buy into their identity.
“If you play small, you have to be a tremendous offensive team,” Cronin said. “When you spread the floor, you’re hard to defend.”