Big Ten Offseason Evaluation: UCLA Bruins

In our Big Ten Offseason Evaluation series, we’ll break down the roster changes and outlook for all 18 Big Ten basketball teams heading into the 2024-25 season. Next up is UCLA, which enters its sixth season under Mick Cronin and first in the Big Ten.

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Utah Utes at Pauley Pavilion. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Mick Cronin made a Final Four run and won a Pac-12 championship in two of his first four seasons coaching UCLA, but the Bruins fell from 31-6 in 2022-23 to 16-17 last season.

Cronin added six highly productive transfers and retained three double-digit scorers in hopes of making last season a one-year setback as UCLA joins the Big Ten conference.

Here’s a full breakdown of UCLA’s offseason, plus its outlook for next year.

Who they lost

• Transfers: Berke Buyuktuncel (4.5 ppg, Nebraska), Will McClendon (4.1 ppg, San Jose State), Jan Vide (1.9 ppg, Loyola Marymount), Ilane Fibleuil (1.0 ppg),  Logan Cremonesi (0.0 ppg)
• NBA/graduation: Adem Bona (12.4 ppg), Kenneth Nwuba (1.3 ppg)

What they gained

• Transfers: Tyler Bilodeau (14.3 ppg, Oregon State), Dominick Harris (14.3 ppg, Loyola Marymount), Skyy Clark (13.2 ppg, Louisville), William Kyle III (13.1 ppg, South Dakota State), Kobe Johnson (10.9 ppg, USC), Eric Dailey Jr. (9.3 ppg, Oklahoma State)
• Freshmen: Trent Perry (No. 31 in 247Sports Composite), Eric Freeny (No. 126)

Returning

• Dylan Andrews (12.9 ppg), Sebastian Mack (12.1 ppg), Lazar Stefanovic (11.5 ppg), Aday Mara (3.5 ppg), Brandon Williams (3.1 ppg), Devin Williams (1.4 ppg)

Reasons for optimism

UCLA lost a large quantity of transfers, but all scored fewer than five points per game last season, so it doesn’t hurt too much to see them leave. Cronin made the most of that roster flexibility following the season, landing the ninth-ranked transfer portal class in the nation. All six transfers averaged at least nine points per game last season, and four have starting experience at the high-major level. It’s possible those four immediately step into the starting lineup.

Cronin’s transfer class is headlined by Skyy Clark, a 6-foot-3 junior guard who previously played at Louisville and Illinois. He’s a score-first guard with 11 games of 16 or more points last season, capped off by a 36-point performance against NC State, a Final Four team, in the ACC Tournament. Cronin plucked Johnson – and 31st-ranked freshman Trent Perry – from in-state rival USC, and Johnson is a two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive team member. At 6-foot-6, he boosts the Bruins’ perimeter defense. Johnson and Clark create a three-man backcourt trio with Dylan Andrews, who averaged 12.9 points per game last season and is a prime breakout candidate as a junior. 

In the frontcourt, Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau could step into the starting center position right away after UCLA lost Adem Bona. At 6-foot-9, Bilodeau’s 34.5% 3-point shooting adds another layer to UCLA’s offense, in addition to his efficient interior scoring at 60.3%. The Bruins also return 7-foot-3 sophomore Aday Mara, who was a five-star recruit ranked No. 15 in the class of 2023 from Spain. Mara played just 9.6 minutes per game as a true freshman, but there’s hope he can step up as a sophomore, given his performances during international play.

Even after all those additions, Cronin retained three double-digit scorers from last season – Andrews, Sebastian Mack and Lazar Stefanovic – giving UCLA a deep backcourt rotation. Andrews and Stefanovic led UCLA in 3-point shooting last season, and Mack made the Pac-12 All-Freshman team. 

Biggest concerns

Adem Bona, a 6-foot-10 center, was arguably UCLA’s best player last season, and he decided to forgo his final two seasons of collegiate eligibility to become a second-round pick in the NBA draft. Bona made the All-Pac-12 first team last year and ranked second in the conference in blocked shots. His defensive presence and rebounding will certainly be missed. 

The questions surrounding Bona’s replacements are exactly those areas. Bilodeau (5.7 rpg, 0.4 bpg) and Dailey (4.8 rpg, 0.1 bpg) are not great rebounders or shot-blockers, which puts pressure on South Dakota State transfer William Kyle III. At 6-foot-9, he was the Summit League Defensive Player of the Year last season, averaging 1.6 blocks per game. But it’ll be a challenge moving up to the Big Ten.

Though Cronin appears to have had a great offseason retooling his roster, some concerns remain with UCLA after last year’s disappointing performance. The Bruins were picked to finish third in the Pac-12 preseason poll last year and even received three first-place votes. But they played a slow tempo and ranked 312th in field goal percentage, making for an ugly season. Can Cronin push the right buttons to turn things around?

The bottom line

With Andrews, Clark, Johnson, Mack and Stefanovic, UCLA has a deep and talented group of guards with experience at the high-major level. That alone gives the Bruins a leg up on many of their conference foes. Replacing Bona will be a challenge, but Cronin added several bigs with different skill sets and retained the high-upside Mara. Despite last season’s struggles, UCLA still ranked top 50 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency, and Cronin has an excellent defensive track record. Expect UCLA to finish in the top five of the Big Ten standings.