Bruins' Andrews Seeking Bounce Back After Recent Rough Stretch

UCLA Bruins junior guard Dylan Andrews has been extremely quiet the past few games after scoring a career-high against Prairie View A&M. With the most important games on the horizon, the Bruins' veteran leader must have a bounce back game and step up.

Dec 21, 2024; New York, NY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Dylan Andrews (2) sets the play while being defended by North Carolina Tar Heels guard Elliot Cadeau (3) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

The No. 15 UCLA Bruins (11-2) are entering their most important games of the year as Big Ten plays will be in full swing and they will need their veteran leader at the point guard position to help them earn some key wins.

Junior guard Dylan Andrews has shown from bright spots this season, including a career-high 21 points a few weeks ago against Prairie View A&M and the game-winning three-point bank shot in the upset victory over the No. 12 Oregon Ducks. Since, he has not liven up to hsi talent and expectations.

In the past two games against North Carolina and Gonzaga, arguably two of the top programs in the country, Andrews combined for just two points on 1-11 shooting in 49 minutes of action. His production up to that point in the season has been great but has fallen since.

Andrews is one of the longest tenured players on the Bruins roster currently in his third season with head coach Mick Cronin. He has gone through adversity the past few years and is reaping the benefits this season with a top 15 national ranking and an 11-2 start.

As the Bruins prepare for their third Big Ten game of the season, facing the Nebraska Cornhuskers (11-2), Andrews will be the one player to look for that needs a big game. He will receive considerable minutes as the point guard of this team and will need to respond with a big game.

UCLA and their players have shown their ability to be resilient and respond directly after failures. The Bruins bounced back from the Tar Heels loss to knock off Gonzaga for the first time in the past five meetings and multiple players have already stepped up after bad games.

Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was benched against Prairie View A&M, then came out and scored a season-high 22 points in the very next game. Senior guard Kobe Johnson scored zero points against the Tar Heels and came back to score 12 with four 3-pointers against the Bulldogs.

There is no reason why Andrews cannot be the next Bruin to come up with a big game after a few hiccups over his last couple of contests. He has so much talent as a game manager and scorer, Andrews has the trust of his coaching staff to put his team in the best position to win.

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