Dissecting Tyler Bilodeau’s On-Court Impact

Without Tyler Bilodeau, the Bruins would be in huge trouble, as he has proven to be the only real consistent player in a team full of inconsistencies.

This season has been a strange one for the Bruins. Once known as an elite, defense-first team, UCLA has evolved into a group capable of surrendering 87 points to Cal Poly, forcing the Bruins to rely on their offense to win games. That shift is where Tyler Bilodeau becomes crucial as the leading scorer.

Bilodeau's Impact

Mentioned earlier, Tyler Bilodeau is the Bruins' best scorer. This season, he is averaging a very solid 17.5 points per game. In his last five games, Bilodeau is averaging a great 20.2 points per game. During this span, he had two 24-point games, against Gonzaga and Cal Poly.

His impact does not stop there, as he is also averaging a good five rebounds per game. Like his scoring uptick in his last five, he has also seen a significant increase in rebounding with 6.8 during that span. The Bruins have struggled to rebound this season, ranking 322nd nationally per game.

His increase in rebounding has been crucial for the Bruins as of late. Without it, the Bruins would be in real bad shape before entering the toughest part of their schedule. Bilodeau has had to step up as we have seen players like Eric Dailey Jr enter a slump that has caused UCLA's team stats to plummet.

Why He is the "Glue" UCLA Needs

Dec 13, 2025; Seattle, Washington, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) passes the ball while guarded by Gonzaga Bulldogs forward Graham Ike (15) during the second half at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-Imagn Images | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

Mentioned previously, the Bruins have had to rely on scoring to win their games. Without the overall increase in scoring output, the Bruins would go from a competitive team to a bottom-three team in the Big Ten. And here is why:

UCLA has faced two very prominent ranked teams this season, being now No. 1 Arizona and No. 7 Gonzaga. While the Bruins would lose both games, it was not by a drastic margin. They would lose to Gonzaga by 10 and Arizona by four, not bad considering the state of this team.

Dec 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) rebounds in front of Cal Poly Mustangs forward Ali Assran (7) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The common factor in keeping these games in reach has been Bilodeau's impact as a player. In both of those games, Bilodeau's scoring would prevent these games from falling out of hand. Against Zaga, he would have 24, and against Arizona, he would have 19.

What has been the most impressive about Bilodeau this season has been his shooting percentage, a key reason why he keeps UCLA competitive in these challenging matchups. It is one thing if he is scoring a lot on bad shooting, but it is another if he is scoring while shooting effectively.

This season Bilodeau is shooting 53.3% from the field and a solid 44.7% from three. Against Gonzaga he would shoot 53.8% from the field and 66.6% from the arc. The same can be said but even better in the Arizona game where he would shoot 70% from the field and 75% from three.

Without Bilodeau, the Bruins have no real No. 1 threat on the roster. While Skyy Clark has shown to be a very dominant player at times, he lacks the consistency that Bilodeau offers night in and night out. The same can be said about Donovan Dent.

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