Bruins' Clark Eager to Bounce Back

The UCLA Bruins junior guard Skyy Clark spoke to the media ahead of practice on Friday, a day before the Bruins' final non-conference game against the Gonzaga Bulldogs. UCLA is coming off a loss, and Clark is ready to bounce back.

Dec 21, 2024; New York, NY, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Skyy Clark (55) drives to the basket 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. 22 UCLA Bruins (10-2) are responding from a brutal loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels last weekend and will be searching for a bounce-back win this Saturday against the No. 14 Gonzaga Bulldogs (9-3) and one Bruin is fired up and motivated to respond positively before Big Ten play.

Bruins junior guard Skyy Clark spoke to the media on Friday, discussing the upcoming matchup with the Bulldogs and what he expects to see from them. Funny enough, Clark was sought after by Gonzaga head coach Mark Few back in high school and is very familiar with what they will bring.

"They're a fast team, similar to the team we just played," Clark said regarding the Bulldogs. "They got a really good point guard, and I'm a little bit familiar with their coach, with their playing style, they recruited me when I was in high school. So, kind of expecting what to see from them, but I feel like we've been really locked in ever since we got back from the break. Obviously, coming off a loss, it only just adds to that."

The Bruins are preparing to face the number one scoring offense in the country as the Bulldogs average 89.2 points per game on average. They are 2-2 in their last four with losses to No. 4 Kentucky and No. 18 UConn but are one of the most dangerous teams in the entire nation.

After blowing a 16-point lead with just under 13 minutes to lose to the Tar Heels, UCLA could be struggling to understand what type of team they are down the stretch in crunch time. Clark put those notions right to sleep with a response that displayed confidence that the Bruins will bounce back.

"I mean, we know there's an end goal to this, and that one game doesn't define us," he said. "So, we just watch film, we learn from it and we just add it to motivation."

If the Bruins want to find their second ranked win of the season, they will need to use their defensive prowess to limit an impressive Bulldogs offense and continue their shooting ways of the past few games. Clark will be asked to play big minutes and contribute on both sides of the floor.

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