Meet The Opponent: UCLA Has Played Better Lately, But Can Bruins Win On The Road?

UCLA, just outside the top 25, comes to Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall on Friday night.

Todd Golden | Feb 12, 2025

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Zach Hicks (24) guard UCLA Bruins guard Eric Dailey Jr. (3) in the first half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – UCLA coach Mick Cronin is not one to mince words. Cronin can be blunt – one of his charms, but it also means those he coaches and works with have to be ready for tough love.

Cronin dished some out on Jan. 8 after UCLA lost 94-75 to Michigan.

“I have to run onto the court to get guys to play hard. It’s crazy, and it’s every day. I’m tired of it. I have the most energy of anybody in practice every day. I’m upset with everybody in that locker room, my assistant coaches and my players,” Cronin said.

“I don’t need to do anything else. I almost got 500 wins. I’m only 53. You’d think I’m coaching the Lakers. It’s a joke. It’s a joke. Yet I come in and I have more passion and energy and pride than everybody. And that’s the problem. That is the truth right now,” Cronin continued.

The message wasn’t received by the Bruins right away. They lost two more games after Cronin’s screed.

However, since Jan. 17, UCLA has been one of the hottest teams in the Big Ten. Tuesday’s loss at Illinois broke a seven-game win streak, but it doesn’t change the fact that the Bruins are greatly improved.

The one caveat: UCLA still hasn’t proven it can win a Big Ten game outside of the West Coast. The Bruins are 0-4 on their travels east.

Which version of the Bruins will Indiana face at 8 p.m. ET on Friday at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall? Fresh off a big win at No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday, the Hoosiers are hoping for the latter.

Here's a further breakdown of the UCLA Bruins.

Key players

• F Tyler Bilodeau: 13.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg.
• F Eric Dailey: 12 ppg, 4.2 apg.
• G Sebastian Mack: 9.9 ppg.
• G Kobe Johnson: 8.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg.
• G Skyy Clark: 7.7 ppg, 3 rpg.
• G Dylan Andrews: 7.6 ppg, 2.9 apg.
• C Aday Mara: 6 ppg, 3.7 rpg.
• G Lazar Stefanovic: 5.1 ppg.
• G Trent Perry: 3.8 ppg.
• G William Kyle: 3.4 ppg.

2024-25 Schedule (18-7, 9-5)

• W, 85-50, Rider, Nov. 4
• L, 72-64, New Mexico, Nov. 8 – Henderson, Nev.
• W, 71-40, Boston University, Nov. 11.
• W, 85-45, Lehigh, Nov. 15.
• W, 84-70, Idaho State, Nov. 20.
• W, 80-47, Cal State Fullerton, Nov. 22.
• W, 88-43, Southern Utah, Nov. 26.
• W, 69-58, Washington, Dec. 3.
• W, 73-71, at Oregon, Dec. 8.
• W, 57-54, Arizona, Dec. 14 – Phoenix.
• W, 111-75, Prairie View, Dec. 17.
• L, 76-74, North Carolina, Dec. 21 – New York City.
• W, 65-62, Gonzaga, Dec. 28 – Inglewood, Calif.
• L, 66-58, at Nebraska, Jan. 4.
• L, 94-75, Michigan, Jan. 7.
• L, 79-61, at Maryland, Jan. 10.
• L, 75-68, at Rutgers, Jan. 13.
• W, 94-70, Iowa, Jan. 17.
• W, 85-83, Wisconsin, Jan. 21.
• W, 65-60, at Washington, Jan. 24.
• W, 82-76, at USC, Jan. 27.
• W, 78-52, Oregon, Jan. 30.
• W, 63-61, Michigan State, Feb. 4.
• W, 78-54, Penn State, Feb. 8.
• L, 83-78, at Illinois, Feb. 11.

Series history

• Series is tied 6-6. UCLA last won in the 2007 NCAA Tournament, a 54-49 victory in Sacramento, Calif. Indiana also last won in the NCAA Tournament, a 106-79 victory in 1992 in Albuquerque, N.M. The Hoosiers and Bruins met in the NCAA Tournament five times with Indiana winning three of the games.

Head coach: Mick Cronin

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during the first half against the Illinois Fighting Illini at State Farm Center. / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Mick Cronin is in his sixth season at UCLA. He’s compiled a 133-60 record and coached the Bruins to the 2021 Final Four.

Overall, Cronin is 498-231 lifetime in 22 seasons as a head coach dating to the 2003-04 season. Cronin coached Cincinnati for 13 seasons, compiling a 296-147 record with the Bearcats from 2006-19. Prior to that, Cronin coached Murray State from 2003-06. He was 69-24 with the Racers.

A Cincinnati native, Cronin began his coaching career as a high school assistant at Woodward High School in Cincinnati. He was named to the University of Cincinnati coaching staff in 1996 and was there to 2001. From 2001-03, Cronin was an assistant at Louisville.

Strengths

Cronin prides himself on good defense, and these Bruins have been able to shut down Big Ten opponents. UCLA ranks fourth in Big Ten games as opponents have averaged 70.1 points.

Part of what UCLA does to keep scoring down is to limit opponents’ shots. UCLA gives up 51.5 field goal attempts in Big Ten play, the lowest rate in the league. The Bruins typically take six more shots than their opponents do in a given game.

Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. give the Bruins two dependable scorers. Neither is flashy, but they’re both over 50% shooting and both players have increased their percentage in Big Ten games.

UCLA is also careful with the basketball as they have a Big-Ten low 8.4 turnovers per game in conference play. While they make few mistakes of their own, they do force errors. The Bruins are second in the conference with 7.7 steals in Big Ten games.

Weaknesses

For all of the good the Bruins have done, one major question hanging over them is whether their game can travel. All three of UCLA’s road wins were on the West Coast. The Bruins have played five games east of the Rocky Mountains and haven’t won any of them. Included were losses at Nebraska and Rutgers, two of the Big Ten’s most inconsistent teams.

UCLA is not a great rebounding team, though some of that is due to the lower possession game the Bruins prefer to play. In Big Ten games, UCLA ranks last at 18.7 defensive rebounds per game. No player on the Bruins averages more than 4.5 rebounds per game.

UCLA has some decent 3-point shooters – Bilodeau converts at 40.3%, Dailey at 37.1%, but there is no sharpshooter who stands out. The Bruins have converted 34% as a team.

Season and game outlook

For Indiana, it’s a chance to build up some steam after a surprising 71-67 victory at No. 11 Michigan State on Tuesday. For the first time in a long time, the Hoosiers have some positive wind in their sails. What can they do with it?

It’s another possible opportunity to get a quality win. UCLA has been floating right at the cutline between this game being a Quad 1 or Quad 2 chance for the Hoosiers. Any home game against a team in the top 25 in the NET is considered Quad 1. As of Wednesday, UCLA was ranked right at No. 25 in the NET.

For the Bruins, it’s a chance to burnish their credentials as a NCAA Tournament contender with a road win in a difficult environment.

The game itself will come with much anticipation. Between them, UCLA and Indiana have won 16 NCAA championships. It is UCLA’s first visit to Bloomington since 1956.