UCLA Basketball: Can Bruins Land Talented Transfer Forward From Oregon State?

UCLA's production at the four spot last year was sorely lacking.

Manned by two freshmen in Brandon Williams and Berke Buyuktuncel, it was asking a lot of these first-year players to come in and replicate anything close to what Jaime Jaquez Jr. had given the program previously.

Williams is a year young for his grade and was one of the youngest players in Division 1 this year. Buyuktuncel came in from Turkey and had little time to acclimate after missing summer sessions due to responsibilities with his national team.

Suffice it to say, that it was not an ideal situation. Looking to boost that position -- and potentially the center spot in the wake of losing Adem Bona to the NBA -- UCLA is zeroing on on a talented player Mick Cronin is quite familiar with.

According to David Woods of BruinReportOnline, Oregon State forward Tyler Bilodeau was scheduled to take in UCLA this weekend on an official visit.

Tyler Bilodeau is on his visit to UCLA per BRO https://t.co/tGG3tWHsiA
— Those Four Letters (@krisjohnsonlive) April 12, 2024

The 6'9" forward was among the better forwards in the Pac-12 last year. As a sophomore, Bilodeau averaged 14.3 PPG and 5.7 RPG. He shot a blistering 60.3-percent from the field and a respectable 34.5-percent from three.

There's actually a little bit of Jaquez Jr. to Bilodeau's game (though Bilodeau is two inches taller).

Bilodeau is a very versatile offensive player. He can post up and score over defenders on the block/in the paint. Bilodeau has demonstrated a very respectable midrange game, and his ability to shoot the ball from beyond the arc opens up driving lanes with a simple pump fake.

He's also a tough, competitive player -- two characteristics Cronin loves in a player. Couple that with the fact Cronin has familiarity with him over the last two years, and it's a near-perfect fit.

Should UCLA land Oklahoma State forward Eric Dailey Jr., one can envision a situation where Dailey Jr. and Bilodeau would complement each other immensely well as a small-ball 4/5 combination.

At the very least, Bilodeau would be a top scoring option for the Bruins next year ahead of their move to the Big Ten.