Postgame Talk: UCLA Levels Up, Knocks Off Michigan State 88-84 to Advance in Big Ten Tournament
The status of Tyler Bilodeau going forward is the other big story from this game.
Just yesterday, I said the following:
Tomorrow’s matchup against Michigan State represents an opportunity to improve their NCAA Tournament life, but even a close loss would help in that regard, and another blowout loss wouldn’t notably change their seeding at this point. Maybe the best-case scenario is simply UCLA getting through tomorrow’s game with no injuries; Clark suffered a cramp in the second half but did come back to play, and Bilodeau was seemingly playing with some sort of respiratory issue.
Ok, I’ll take some blame here.
On the one hand, UCLA got to show off the potential that had them ranked so highly to start the year, going wire to wire to beat #2 seed Michigan State 88-84 and advance to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament. On the other hand, UCLA’s most consistent offensive player, Tyler Bilodeau, left the game with a knee injury late in the first half, and his status going forward is up in the air.
Let’s start with Tyler Bilodeau, since I’m sure his status is going to drive conversation going forward. Late in the first half, Bilodeau went down clutching his knee after suffering an apparent non-contact injury. Bilodeau was taken to the locker room for evaluation while UCLA fans, perhaps scarred from years of late-season injuries derailing a postseason, held their breath, hoping to avoid the worst.
That said, things are at least trending in a positive direction. Bilodeau walked back to the bench to start the second half wearing an ice pack, and he seemed to be moving around well following the game. Mick Cronin said after the game that it would take a miracle for Bilodeau to play tomorrow, which makes sense given the quick turnaround, but it does sound promising for Bilodeau’s status next week.
As for the game itself, how about that?
I had mentioned yesterday that the UCLA offense hadn’t made the initial trip to Chicago, but they clearly arrived for this game. The Bruins shot 55.6% from the field, including 13-27 (48.1%) from distance. It was an impressive shooting performance that finally showcased the three-headed hydra at guard that is supposed to carry the Bruins deep into March. Donovan Dent followed up his historic performance yesterday with an equally-impressive outing tonight, putting up 23 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds. Crucially, he also hit three of his five three-point attempts, which opened up his offensive game even more. Trent Perry was equally impressive, hitting four of his eight three-point attempts en route to 22 points on his own. Skyy Clark finished the trifecta with one of his better shooting performances since returning from injury, putting up 15 points on 6-11 shooting.
All three players had pivotal roles down the stretch. As Michigan State began a furious late comeback, Clark and Perry provided the answer, hitting three-pointers that stymied the Spartans’ momentum, keyed by some impressive penetration from Dent. And in the final minute, the Bruins turned to Perry to ice the game, and the sophomore calmly hit six straight free throws to ice the game.
The rest of the team weren’t slouches either. Eric Dailey had his best game of the season, putting up 14 points on 5-7 shooting, including two of his three three-point attempts. Brandon Williams, playing extended minutes with Bilodeau’s injury, contributed nine points of his own. Eric Freeny and Jamar Brown did not score but provided solid defensive effort. Xavier Booker had a generally rough game, but his energy was notably higher than it had been in a few weeks, so you’ll take it. Steven Jamerson picked up another flagrant against Michigan State, which is something.
The defense wasn’t at the level it was against Rutgers, but it was solid. Rebounding was a problem, with the Spartans grabbing 16 of the 36 rebounds on their misses and grabbing 23 second-chance points in the process, but the Bruins did their best to attack the boards and limit rebounds close to the basket. UCLA also did a solid job of forcing misses, limiting Michigan State to 45.2% from the field.
Perry’s late game free throw heroics helped bring things closer, but the other problem for the Bruins in this game was the foul disparity. Michigan State was the beneficiary of a very favorable whistle in the first half, shooting 14 free throws to only three for the Bruins, and that allowed them to keep what was mostly a complete pantsing of a first half close. Things were more even in the second half, but give UCLA credit for winning an 8v5 game for the majority of it.
The victory over Michigan State is going to do wonders for the Bruins going forward. Michigan State was projected as a 2-seed in the tournament, so getting a win over a team of that quality outside of the Pacific time zone is huge for the Bruins’ perception with the committee. Tomorrow’s matchup with Purdue is now found money, with the Bruins suddenly looking at a more favorable seeding line.
So with all that, I will again say that, hopefully, the Bruins can get through tomorrow’s game with no injuries. A win would be nice, but it’s all found money at this point.
Go Bruins!
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Agree B4E, that the Michigan trip could have been the end of the season….but the doomsday proclamations of the BTN and their talking heads, failed to take into account the commitment to the “5-out,” 3 guard offense by the coaching staff after that; the player meetings and the team’s buy-in and commitment to themselves and the rest of the season; and the kind of character development that, with the right players and the right staff, an event such as that one can create......and the massive dividends it can pay…….IMHO, it is that character development that has been improving this version of this team ever since. Last night, they played with the kind of desperation that I had only seen in flashes, but never in a sustained stretch, like they demonstrated in that first half against one of the elite, athletic, physical and well coached teams in the country.
And when Bilo went down and we all held our collective breath as he was assisted off the court; despite all of our feelings of dread, the newly developed character of this team shined brightly, as they adjusted, tightened their belts another notch, looked Sparty in the eye and said, “Hey, we’re still here! Let’s go!” And they continued to take the game to them. Whatever happens in the semis with Purdue, I could not be prouder of how far this team has come and what they have accomplished over the past several weeks.
wow 40 deflections tonight