Bruins' Mack Making Case For Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year

The UCLA Bruins (13-6) have received key performances off the bench to help earn some statement wins this season, but nobody has been more impactful coming off the bench than sophomore guard Sebastian Mack. He is surely making a case for Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

Mack is averaging the most minutes of any non-starter and is the team's third-highest scorer at 10.4 points per game. He recently posted 19 points and four rebounds against the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers in an upset win and has been very impressive the past few games.

Despite his impressive scoring this season, Mack has an added toughness to him that elevates not only his game, but the entire team. He was asked about what impact he brings to this team and the toughness factor that he carries with him whenever he steps on the floor.

"I feel like that's just how I always grew up," Mack said following the Wisconsin win. "Coach [Cronin] [is] always going to put me in those positions, knowing the player that I am. That's why I came to UCLA, so he just was like, 'I'm going to give you space, and you just got to create something, see what you got.' So I just try as best as I can to either score or create something for my guys and just take it from there."

After starting 30 of 33 contests last year on a below .500 team, Mack had a solid freshman season with UCLA, averaging 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds. He has started just one of the 19 games this year, due to sophomore guard Eric Dailey Jr. missing the game against Nebraska.

Even though he may not be in the starting five, Mack is averaging just five fewer minutes than he was a starter last year and is finding more success as a team. With multiple star transfers joining the group this offseason, Mack has not been required to make all the plays to help this team win.

The Chicago, Illi. native is producing at almost the same clip and helping his program win many more games than they did in his freshman season. He may not be scoring the same on average, but his assists per game has increased (2.1), and so has his field-goal percentage (42.4%).

There is something about a player that can come into a game at any time and change the course of the contest by his presence alone. There have been numerous games where the starting five may not have had the best start, but once Mack entered the game, the Bruins came back or extended a lead.

Last year, the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year Award went to Purdue's Mason Gillis. He averaged just 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 21.2 minutes per game for a Boilermaker team that won the Big Ten. Mack's numbers are much better, and he will be a strong candidate for the award this season.

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