UCLA's Bilodeau Has Gone Cold at the Wrong Time

The UCLA Bruins have not gotten good fortune as of late, and another kick came while they were down in Tyler Bilodeau.

Jan 13, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) is fouled by Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Dylan Harper (2) during the first half at Jersey Mike's Arena. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Well, the UCLA Bruins must have made the college basketball gods upset given the way they have performed as of late. Now with a losing streak pushed to four in a row, the Bruins cannot find an answer to their curse. To add insult to injury, UCLA's most consistent player may be on the decline with the team as well.

Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau had his worst game as a Bruin in the team's loss to Rutgers on Monday. While playing in 32 minutes on the court, Bilodeau missed every shot he took. Collecting 6 points off of free throws alone, this was not what the Bruins needed right now.

Bilodeau did record five rebounds, four of which were on defense, had two assists, a steal and a block. However, UCLA fans are not used to seeing Bilodeau become a defensive marksman for the Bruins, they are used to his typical point leading games, but they did not get that on Monday.

On the losing streak, Bilodeau has consistently dropped over 15 points per game while averaging more than 30 minutes on the court. While he did improve his free-throw success rate, his field goal and 3-Point success rate surely took a hit after the performance he had.

With Coach Mick Cronin already not pleased with how the Bruins have been performing, it does not bode well that after he deemed Bilodeau as "the most consistent player for us this season, he turned one of the worst performances in his collegiate career.

In his freshman season with Oregon State, Bilodeau had a few games where he was unable to drop six or more points. In fact, the last time Bilodeau only dropped 6 points in a game was last season, almost exactly one year ago (Jan. 18, 2024). A lot has changed since that performance, including his uniform, but this is not what UCLA needs at the moment.

Turning their attention to Iowa, a team that has been on fire as of late, the Bruins are now the underdogs after seemingly looking to have everything under control in the beginning games of the season. Hopefully for the Bruins' sake, Bilodeau will bounce back, or else this losing streak could push UCLA out of every sense of contending.

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