3 Players to Watch When Bruins Battle Rutgers

The No. 22 UCLA Bruins (11-5) need a bounce-back win in the worst way after losing their past three games, all in Big Ten play. They have lost their identity as a team and will need to regain it when they travel to play the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-8) on Monday night.

Here are three players that should be watched for when the Bruins head to Piscataway, New Jersey to start the week.

Jr. Forward Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA)

The consistency for the Bruins as a whole has not been there, but Bilodeau certainly has shown his consistent ability to score points early and often. Averaging 14.9 points per game to lead the team, Bilodeau is far and away the best scorer on this Bruins team and must have a big game to win.

Bilodeau has been heavily relied on as many of his teammates are on extreme cold streaks and are coming up way below their averages. He is coming off an 18-point performance in a loss to Maryland but has scored in double figures in six of his last seven games, including 26 against North Carolina.

In terms of field goal percentage, Bilodeau ranks 11th in the Big Ten at 50.8% shooting. His three-point numbers sit around 40% from downtown, but he has made just two of his last 10 triples. He prides himself on his ability to play from both the perimeter and in the paint.

So. Guard Sebastian Mack (UCLA)

The Bruins absolutely need the old Sebastian Mack back for this game. In his second season with the Bruins, Mack got off to a blazing start, scoring 10 or more in six of his first nine games, including a 21-point performance against Idaho State. He has since gone flat during the team's three-game skid.

Mack did post 17 points in last week's loss to Michigan, but five of those points came from the free throw line, something that he does exceptionally well. He is responding from a lousy 3-point performance against Maryland and will require a bigger game to help the Bruins earn a win.

Averaging 9.8 points per game on 40.9% shooting, Mack has all the skill in the world to be one of the best players on the team and in the conference. He has taken double-digit shot attempts in three of his last five games and will need to do the same. He must hit at almost 50% to be successful.

Fr. Guard Dylan Harper (RUTGERS)

The Scarlet Knights pose a massive problem with their star freshman guard Dylan Harper. He currently leads not only his team but the entire Big Ten in points per game at 20.1 and is averaging solid totals with 5.3 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. Nobody impacts the game more than him.

The Bruins will need to be careful allowing him to pull up from behind the three-point line as he is shooting 35.2% from deep on almost five 3-point shots per game. He posted a career-high 37 points against No. 9 Alabama and has posted over 20 points in 10 games this season.

Harper will have the ball in his hands for a majority of the Scarlet Knights' possessions and the Bruins must find a way to limit his production. UCLA senior guard Kobe Johnson is the team's best defender and will likely guard one of the most dynamic young players in college basketball.

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