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, and Dailey at the four – where each started last year.
Thirteen games into the season, Cronin’s loosened his priorities, adapting out of necessity as his transfer portal acquisitions at center have struggled to protect the rim with consistency.
On Tuesday, 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 erupted for a career-high 34 points to lead UCLA to a 97-65 win over UC Riverside in the Bruins’ final nonconference game.
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.
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 an easy look inside. Booker returned, but was replaced soon thereafter as neither he nor Jamerson could fulfill the role of a rim-protecting bruiser.
Williams continues to step up, earning playing time and Cronin’s trust. He saw 16 minutes Friday as UCLA matched Cal Poly’s five-out playstyle 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% (3 of 15) of their 3-pointers and committed 22 turnovers.
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 headed out of bounds, 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 cup for an and-one floater. He also came off a down screen from Bilodeau to hit a right-wing 3.
He finished with 14 points and seven assists, his vision a crucial part of Bilodeau’s performance.
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