Postgame Talk: Road Woes Continue as UCLA Loses to Illinois 83-78
The Bruins fought but could not overcome some issues against the Illini.
I’m making this a relatively quick recap because, if I’m honest, there are only a few things of note here.
First, UCLA continues to have some problems putting together complete games outside of the Pacific time zone. The Bruins were painful on offense to start this game, shooting 32.1% from the field and looking like they were still feeling the effects of the norovirus that ran through the team last week (and more on that in a minute). In the second half, the offense showed up in a major way- the Bruins shot 63.3% in the second half - but the defense went out the window, as Illinois was able to hit a variety of easy shots and wide-open three-pointers. The Bruins scored 53 points in the second half, but when you give up 52 at the same time, you’re going to have a problem.
Second, the norovirus that ran through the team may be gone but that isn’t to say the effects aren’t still lingering. In particular, Tyler Bilodeau and Aday Mara were reported to still be feeling the effects. You would not have guessed it of Bilodeau based on how he played in this game, with him hitting seven of his 12 three-point attempts en route to a game-high 25 points, but he was lacking on the boards and it felt at times that he was lacking in some of the strength he was playing with of late. Aday Mara, meanwhile, looked much more like someone who was still struggling with the aftereffects of the illness. He played eight minutes and was a difference-maker when he was on the court, especially on defense, but you could see that his stamina was nowhere close to what it had been during his stretch of high-level play. Reports are that he asked not to come back in when he was pulled in the second half, which at the very least is a good recognition that he was not in a helpful state, but in some ways, you could boil this game down to Illinois having their excellent seven-foot tall European big while UCLA was without theirs.
Third, the refs were awful. I am a proponent of not blaming the referees for a loss, and to say they are the only reason UCLA lost this game is missing the forest for the trees, but good lord these guys were miserable. It felt like Illinois got every questionable call in this game, and every time UCLA clawed its way back into the game, a whistle would ring out to kill UCLA’s momentum. The worst moment was Sebastian Mack getting called for a phantom foul on a free throw, then Aday Mara getting maimed on a rebound attempt with no call being made, and finished with Coach Mick Cronin getting a technical foul for explaining to the referee crew in exacting detail how terrible they had been for the past few minutes. Kobe Johnson, who in many ways was UCLA’s best two-way player, was limited to 23 minutes due to all the foul trouble. A more neutral referee crew likely gives UCLA a better chance of winning this game.
One last thing of note: Eric Dailey is in a real slump. Ever since the calendar flipped to February, he has struggled to find himself on both ends of the court, and this was perhaps his worst game yet. Dailey finished with only five points on 2-6 shooting, had only three rebounds, and had two really bad turnovers. I don’t know if he’s pressing and trying to do too much, or if there is something ailing him (it’s February and everyone is dealing with something but still), but UCLA would benefit tremendously if he could turn things around.
Yet given all that, the Bruins still showed off that newfound toughness that Cronin dragged out of them during that four-game losing streak. This team could have folded so easily; with 4:51 remaining, Illinois had stretched the lead to 16 and looked like it was about to put up a complete rout of the Bruins, but the team fought back. A Kobe Johnson three-pointer here, a Skyy Clark layup there, and some good two-man play from Dylan Andrews and Tyler Bilodeau, and the Bruins got the lead down to one possession with a minute remaining. At this point, Illinois finally found some offense, with Kasparas Jakucionis hitting a ridiculous shot (Jakucionis had a great game in general and you can see why he is considered a potential top-5 pick in the next NBA Draft), but even then the Bruins fought back just for the referees to miss one last foul on Illinois on a rebound.
Still, that fight is what will carry UCLA forward, and if they can get healthier, there’s still every reason to believe they can make noise in March.
Go Bruins.
Thanks again for supporting The Mighty Bruin. Your paid subscriptions make this site possible. Questions, comments, story ideas, angry missives and more can be sent to @TheMightyBruin on Twitter.
People wonder why I’m so negative towards Cori Close as a coach, but I think the 4th quarter of that game was a pretty good example. Both teams have similar talent, and UCLA had nothing scheme-wise to generate offense while Southern Cal has a coach who can scheme things.
My impressions largely from following the play by play on my computer (no tv or radio 3000 miles from home). Some of the top players clearly were still suffering from the virus. Most Big 10 (or Big 2157 if it keeps expanding) teams have problems winning games away. Perhaps home town referees explain much of this difference. Hopefully the top Bruin players will have more energy against Indiana -- enough to make a difference. It would be nice if the Big 10 network would run some of the games not otherwise available on tv. Why were there 25 better teams than UCLA this week according to the polls? Go Bruins!