UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Recapping Bruins' Loss to No. 20 Purdue

Our latest episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast recaps a tough road loss for Coach Mick Cronin and his group. Despite hanging tough for the majority of the game, a late scoring run from Purdue was the difference in the contest.

UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a call Friday, Feb. 28, 2025, during the NCAA men’s basketball game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. | Alex Martin/Journal and Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (20-9, 11-7) fell to the No. 20 Purdue Boilermakers (20-9, 12-6), 76-66, in a hard-nosed Big Ten battle between two of the conference's top teams. The Boilermakers bounce back after four straight losses and deny the Bruins of their second road win over a traditional Big Ten team.

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down the Bruins' hard-fought road loss to the Boilermakers on Friday night. UCLA has now been bounced out of the top four of the Big Ten standings, a spot it was hoping to secure.

You can watch the full episode below:

The Bruins led, 56-55, with just over 8 minutes to play before Purdue went on an 11-0 that completely changed the course of the game. The Boilermakers would cruise to a 76-66 win on the home floor, snapping their longest losing streak since the 2019-'20 season.

Purdue was led by junior forward Trey Kaufman-Renn, who posted a game-high 29 points with three rebounds and three steals. Junior guard Braden Smith earned 22 points while posting a career-high six 3-pointers. He tossed eight assists with four steals of his own.

UCLA ended up outrebounding the Boilermakers by eight but did not win the turnover battle. They coughed up the ball 14 times, which was converted to 15 points. Purdue only committed nine turnovers, a key factor in the Bruins' loss.

The Bruins were once again led by junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who scored 15 points while grabbing seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was the only other scorer in double figures, netting 10 points, but would go scoreless in the second half.

It was not a bad shooting performance from UCLA, as it went 24-50 (48%) from the field. Purdue simply shot 51.9%, making three more field goals and six more 3-pointers than the Bruins, the leading reason for the loss.

Despite another gritty loss, the Bruins will seek a bounce-back spot of their own on Monday night when they take on the Northwestern Wildcats (15-13, 6-11) on the road. Even though it is already locked into the NCAA Tournament, UCLA must do everything it can to improve its resume.

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