UCLA Receives Two Big Ten Postseason Awards

UCLA men's basketball made the strongest first impression of any team to join the Big Ten from the Pac-12 this season.

The Bruins finished fourth in the conference and even took down the best team, Michigan State, along the way.

On Tuesday, the Big Ten revealed its 2024-25 postseason awards -- two Bruins were represented.

UCLA junior forward Tyler Bilodeau earned All-Big Ten Third Team honors, joining Illlinois' Kasparas Jakucionis, Maryland's Ja’Kobi Gillespie, Michigan State's Jaden Akins and Jase Richardson, and Oregon's Nate Bittle and Jackson Shelstad.

Bilodeau averaged 14.0 points per game and 4.4 rebounds this season.

UCLA senior forward Kobe Johnson earned All-Big Ten All-Defensive honors, joining Akins, Bittle, Oregon's TJ Bamba and Penn State's Ace Baldwin Jr.

This is Johnson's third-straight All-Defensive award, as he won two in the Pac-12 as a USC Trojan.

The senior averaged 3.0 steals per game and 4.1 defensive rebounds.

Both Bilodeau and Johnson were transfers, two of six to have joined the Bruins last offseason.

"Our senior leader defensively [Johnson], he's known me since July," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin following the Bruins' win over USC on Saturday. "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."

Bilodeau came from Oregon State, where he spent two seasons. Last year, he averaged 14.3 points per game and 5.7 rebounds while starting all 32 games but did not receive all-conference honors.

The year before, his freshman season, Bilodeau averaged 7.0 points per game and 3.9 rebounds.

Johnson averaged 7.9 points per game this year after averaging a career-best 10.9 in his final season with the Trojans. He also averaged 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals last season.

Both Bilodeau and Johnson will be crucial to UCLA's postseason success. They and the Bruins will look to build on their latest victories in the Big Ten Tournament. Having earned a double bye, they will begin play in Friday's quarterfinals.

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