Would Bruins be Able to Survive Without Bilodeau This Week?

There's a chance UCLA men's basketball could be without its star player to close out the month. Can the Bruins afford his absence?

Jan 10, 2025; College Park, Maryland, USA; UCLA Bruins forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) handles the ball against Maryland Terrapins center Derik Queen (25) during the first half at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

UCLA men's basketball is rolling again, but the brief winning streak could be in jeopardy depending on the status of its star player.

Bruins junior forward Tyler Bilodeau went down early with an ankle injury in Friday's game against Washington. Despite his absence for the majority of the contest, UCLA was able to pull out the road win, but it may have been fortunate it happened to be against the worst team in the Big Ten.

Not having Bilodeau may not cut it against USC and, especially, against No. 15 Oregon.

It's unclear just how severe the injury is, so there's really no telling right now if Bilodeau will be ready to suit up against the Trojans on Monday. And even if he does, it wouldn't be surprising if his minutes are limited.

“I didn’t like the way he was moving," said UCLA coach Mick Cronin after Friday's game. "It was hard for me to get a lot of information and hard for our trainer to assess things on the fly. He turned his ankle. A kid like him, he’s going to say he wants to play, you could hit him in the head with a bat and he’d want to play. I put him back in but I didn’t like the way he was moving. I’m more worried about his career and the rest of our season.” 

UCLA had just started to find its identity again, and potentially losing Bilodeau for a game, or perhaps more, could not have happened at a worse time.

But then again, this is a deep Bruins team, with role players who have stepped up in recent games.

Sophomore center Aday Mara has been playing the best basketball of his collegiate career, turning in back-to-back double-digit scoring performances, including a season-high 22 against No. 18 Wisconsin last week. He also posted seven blocks in those two games combined.

Mara has been everything the Bruins have needed to be during this three-game win streak, and fans have been calling for him to get the start. Perhaps he will on Monday if Bilodeau is unable to go.

Meanwhile, junior guard Skyy Clark has been excelling as of late as well, scoring 12 points in each of the last three contests. Fellow junior guard Dylan Andrews has also been playing more consistent and has turned a corner for UCLA at a time it desperately needed him to.

With these key players thriving, UCLA may just be able to afford a game without Bilodeau, but beyond that, it probably wouldn't be likely, as the Bruins would need all hands on deck for its meeting with Oregon on Thursday.

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.