UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast: Recapping the Bruins' Win Over No. 18 Wisconsin

In this episode of the UCLA Bruins Insider Podcast, UCLA Bruins On SI beat writer Tom Cavanaugh breaks down the Bruins' (13-6, 4-4) impressive 85-83 win over the No. 18 Wisconsin Badgers (15-4, 5-3) at home on Tuesday night. It was a win the group needed badly, and they got it.

You can watch the episode below:

One of the grittier wins of the year for the Bruins came at the perfect time as they snapped the Badgers' seven-game winning streak and improved to 3-1 against ranked teams this season. Several stars and one unlikely hero came through for a Bruins team that has quickly rebounded.

Bruins sophomore center Aday Mara was a major difference maker, playing the best game of his two-year UCLA career. Mara posted a career-high 22 points with five rebounds and two blocks. It was a breakout game for the young star as he proved his ability to hang with the best in the Big Ten.

Sophomore guard Sebastian Mack was spectacular once again, scoring 19 points, going 7-8 from the free-throw line, and adding four rebounds. He made several clutch shots down the stretch of a tight ballgame to keep the Bruins ahead during multiple attempts to retake the lead from Wisconsin.

Other notable scoring came from junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, who stayed consistent with 16 points, and junior guard Skyy Clark, who earned 12 points with a pair of clutch free throws to seal the game in the final seconds.

One other Bruin that continues to take significant strides is junior guard Dylan Andrews. After a rough stretch to start the new year, Andrews followed up a 13-point performance against the Iowa Hawkeyes with 9 points, seven assists and two steals against the Badgers.

Despite allowing 83 points, which is way above the average of the Bruins' No. 1 defense in the conference, they kept pace offensively to stay in the game. Four different scorers in double figures was the leading factor to this team picking up another upset win this season.

After losing four straight games, UCLA has bounced back in a major way, picking up back-to-back conference wins at home over the Iowa Hawkeyes and Badgers. It had not beaten a team this year that had prior Big Ten experience before this week, earning two over the past several days.

UCLA will be back in action this Friday when they take on a familiar foe in the Washington Huskies (10-8, 1-6) on the road. It will be the second matchup between these two this season -- the Bruins beating them by 11 in the first meeting back in early December.

Ensure you follow on X (Twitter) @UCLAInsideronSI and @tcav30 and never miss another breaking news story again.

Please let us know your thoughts when you like our Facebook page WHEN YOU CLICK RIGHT HERE.