Bruins Trio Must Thrive to Find Postseason Success

The UCLA Bruins are heading into the Big Ten Tournament, seeking a conference championship while preparing for the upcoming NCAA Tournament. Three key Bruins will be essential if they want to make a few deep runs in March.

Feb 8, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins players listen to head coach Mick Cronin during a time out in the first half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins (22-9, 13-7) prepare for another postseason push as they begin Big Ten tournament play on Friday afternoon in Indianapolis, Ind. If the Bruins want to make some noise and create a deep run in both tournaments, they will rely on their three-headed monster.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, sophomore forward Eric Dailey Jr. and sophomore center Aday Mara have emerged as the key core of this Bruins team and will be the catalyst to being a dangerous team in March. The top three offensive players on the team must deliver if UCLA wants to stay alive.

There is no doubt that this Bruins defense is one of the best in the country and will be relied on heavily. It is the offensive side of the ball that must see an uptick in success to really be a team that has a chance to win both the Big Ten Championship and national title.

Bilodeau has been the team's top scorer all season, averaging 14 points on 50.5% shooting. He is adding 4.4 rebounds per game to his stat line and has been a perfect dual-threat forward that can shoot it from deep while taking it inside on an opponent's biggest defenders.

Dailey fits that same mold. He is classified as a guard but can play either position. Averaging 12 points and 4.2 rebounds, Dailey is coming off the best performance of his career, notching a career-high 25 points in last Sunday's rivalry win over the USC Trojans.

When both guys are succeeding offensively, they are one of the more unstoppable teams in the country. Due to their defense being so good, a strong offensive performance can lift the Bruins over almost any opponent in the nation.

"I think we just keep putting the work in," Bilodeau said. "I think we've been getting better every day, so yeah, I think everything's just starting to come together."

The missing link that has come along in the second half of the year has been the 7-3 center, Mara. Ranking fourth in the Big Ten in blocks per game (1.5), Mara has added such a versatile piece to the offense, specifically in the final 13 games of the season. He has 16 multi-block games this season.

Mara averages 6.3 points and scored a career high of 22 earlier this year. His paint presence has been something that many opponents have struggled heavily to match. As his playing time has increased, so has his production and comfortability in scoring the basketball around the rim.

There is a very strong possibility that this UCLA team is able to make a strong run in both the conference and national tournaments. It will take a full team effort to get it done, but utilizing these three stars is going to be the biggest key to their success in March.

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