UCLA's Transfer Portal Haul Has Paid Off

The UCLA Bruins have put together an incredible bounce-back season after finishing under .500 and missing the NCAA Tournament last season. They have been led by four program-changing seniors that have brought this team back to playing elite basketball.

Feb 4, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Kobe Johnson (0) and guard Skyy Clark (55) celebrate with forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) after a basket during the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (22-9, 13-7) concluded the regular season with an impressive home victory over bitter rival, USC (15-16, 7-13), on Saturday night. Just as it has been all season long, the Bruins were led by their transfer stars, something that Coach Mick Cronin acknowledged postgame.

In a crushing, 90-63 win over their crosstown rival, transfer sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. posted a career-high 25 points. Transfer junior guard Skyy Clark netted a season-high 17 points with six assists. Transfer junior forward Tyler Bilodeau put up 14 points as well.

After the win, Cronin drew attention to how he has had to build a strong team culture in an extremely short amount of time as most of his team was first-year transfers. He credited four guys as the "most productive" pieces this season.

"Our senior leader defensively [Johnson], he's known me since July," Cronin said. "July 8, we started practice, so what's that eight months, seven months? So, you go to pound nails fast and hard to be able to build a unit that can get it done. Look the most productive guys on this team have been Eric [Dailey Jr.], Tyler [Bilodeau], Kobe defensively, and Skyy [Clark]; they're all transfers."

After the Bruins finished 16-17 a season ago, missing the NCAA Tournament, the program put a strong emphasis on recruiting through the transfer portal and quickly becoming a contender once again. They accomplished that and more, signing several key transfer players this past offseason.

The biggest jolt for the UCLA offense this season was the addition of both Bilodeau and Dailey. The two highest scorers by average, Bilodeau leads the way with 14 per game while Dailey nets 12 points per contest.

There have been several of the 22 wins this season where either Bilodeau or Dailey stepped up and delivered a statement performance. 20 of the Bruins' 31 games were led in scoring by either transfer star. The two have done nothing but deliver for this group all year long.

Clark has been the X factor for this group from start to finish. He got off to a slow start offensively but started all 31 contests while earning the third-most assists on the team. He was rewarded well on Saturday night with his best performance in a Bruins jersey.

Another absolute star that may not receive the credit he deserves is Johnson. The former three-year USC Trojan has been a top-notch defender in the Big Ten this season, likely to receive Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors. He led the Bruins in steals (53) and rebounds per game (6.0) this season.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.