PHILADELPHIA — Since UCLA joined the Big Ten, Bruins coach Mick Cronin has developed something of a reputation for noting the challenges of his team’s travel schedule.
There’s a dash of irony to the fact that the Bruins must fly cross-country to reach their NCAA Tournament first-round destination, but this time Cronin isn’t complaining.
Because after UCLA went 1-6 outside the Pacific Time Zone in the regular season, the Bruins won a pair of games in the Big Ten tournament in Chicago and took eventual champ Purdue down to the wire in the semis.
“Look, we’re not concerned with travel — we’re experienced at it,” Cronin said this week.
UCLA (23-11) received the No. 7 seed in the East Region and will open the tournament Friday against No. 10 seed UCF (21-11).
Cronin feels his Bruins are playing some of their best basketball, which is borne out by the eye test and the advanced metrics. Since Feb. 21, UCLA is 6-2 with upset wins over Illinois, Nebraska and Michigan State (the latter in the Big Ten quarterfinals). The Bruins have the second-most efficient offense in the country in that span, according to BartTorvik.com.
Leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 points per game) has shot 14 for 29 from 3-point range in that time. Donovan Dent (13.5 ppg) has dropped games of 30, 25 and 23 points as well as a 12-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double in the Big Ten tourney opener against Rutgers.
The trouble is that both those players are nursing injuries entering the week. Bilodeau suffered a right knee sprain in the Michigan State upset and Dent hurt his calf against Purdue. Cronin was optimistic his team was getting healthy in time for Friday.
The matchup pits two of the top 12 assist leaders in the country, as Dent (250 assists, 7.6 per game) will be mirrored by UCF’s Themus Fulks (214, 6.7 per game).
“Really impressed with how good he is with the ball,” Cronin said of watching Fulks on tape. “When you have a guy like that, as you know watching (Dent), Trent (Perry) and Skyy (Clark), it makes your offense easy because they make plays, they can make reads, they break your defense down and he breaks defenses down.”
The Knights rely on a high-scoring quartet of Riley Kugel (14.4 ppg), Fulks (14.1), Jordan Burks (13.0) and Jamichael Stilwell (11.7). They began the season 17-4 with high-profile wins over Kansas and Texas Tech, but they lost four of their last five entering the NCAA Tournament.
That hasn’t put a damper on their spirits. UCF is in the tournament for the first time since 2019, and the first time since joining the Big 12 in a football-driven move.
“I’ve said it all season long, how proud I am of this team,” Knights coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I saw something this summer, just how competitive they were, and (they) carried it over throughout the season. So that made it really special, and to see our young people have these dreams that are made.”
Fulks (Louisiana), Kugel (Florida and Mississippi State) and seventh-year guard Devan Cambridge (Auburn and Arizona State) all played in the NCAA Tournament at prior stops.
Both teams rank top-50 nationally from 3-point range, suggesting a possible shootout. UCF is middling in most defensive categories and has allowed 82.3 points per game since Feb. 21.
–Adam Zielonka, Field Level Media
