Arizona (4-4) vs No. 24 UCLA (8-1) | Footprint Center, Phoenix | 1 p.m. Saturday | ESPN2 | 1290-AM
PROBABLE STARTERS
ARIZONA
G Jaden Bradley (6-3 junior)
G Caleb Love (6-4 senior)
F Carter Bryant (6-8 freshman)
F Trey Townsend (6-6 senior)
C Tobe Awaka (6-8 junior)
UCLA
G Dylan Andrews (6-2 junior)
G Skyy Clark (6-3 junior)
F Kobe Johnson (6-6 senior)
F Eric Dailey Jr. (6-8 soph.)
C Tyler Bilodeau (6-9 junior)
How they match up
The series: Arizona swept both regular-season games against UCLA in the team’s final run through the Pac-12 last season and has won six of the past seven games, but the Bruins still lead the series overall 63-50.
UCLA overview: The NIL return on investment has been strong at UCLA so far, with the Bruins having pulled in four new starters from the transfer portal — Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State), Kobe Johnson (USC), Skyy Clark (Louisville) and Eric Dailey (Oklahoma State) — who have helped them go 8-1 while displaying a defensive focus typical of Mick Cronin-coached teams.
UCLA has the nation’s fourth-most efficient defense, allowing teams to score just 92.2 points per 100 possessions, and is first in defensive turnover percentage. Opponents cough up the ball on 27.0% of their possessions, doing so even without a UCLA steal on 12.8% of their possessions, indicating the Bruins’ pressure rattles opponents into bad passes, offensive charges and travel violations. The Bruins also rank in the top 35 in both defensive two-point percentage (44.2) and defensive 3-point percentage (28.5).
The Bruins’ one returning starter, point guard Dylan Andrews, gets playmaking help from Clark and Johnson. A former UA recruiting target from Los Angeles, Clark played both guard spots last season at Louisville and started at Illinois early in the 2022-23 season before leaving midway through the season for what he termed personal reasons. Clark often plays point guard when he’s in the game and has a 3-1 assist-to-turnover ratio, while Johnson leads the Bruins in assists with 3.2 per game on average.
Named to the past two Pac-12 all-defensive teams at USC, Johnson also ranks 28th nationally in steal percentage, taking the ball away on 5.1% of opponents’ possessions when he’s on the floor.
The Bruins actually get their most efficient 3-point shooting from their bigger players: The 6-8 Dailey has hit 47.4%, the 6-9 Bilodeau shoots 38.5% and 6-7 senior Lazar Stefanovic shoots 47.8%, the 74th best rate in Division I. Stefanovic is a big shooter on the wing as he was at UCLA last season and Utah before that, while guard Sebastian Mack excels at driving inside and picking up fouls. He draws 7.2 fouls per 40 minutes and hits free throws at an 80.4% rate.
Stefanovic, Mack and center Aday Mara have transitioned from starters last season to playing key reserve roles now. The 7-3 Mara gives the Bruins a drastically different look than when Bilodeau is at center, while 6-9 South Dakota State transfer William Kyle will also back up at center.
He said it: “They have a great collective group that is able to pressure the ball, contain the dribble. They've totally bought in on the defensive end of the floor. They're pressing some and using that to disrupt offenses. In half-court, teams get sped up and it's leading to turnovers. They're forcing over 18 turnovers a game. That's a lot of extra possessions for them without their opponent getting a shot.
“The guy that's impressed me with his defense is Skyy Clark. He’s playing strong, tough, on-the-ball defense. You can say in a lot of ways, it starts with him.
“Much like all their Mick Cronin teams, the shot goes up, the real possession begins — they're doing a great job of offensive rebounding. Kobe Johnson's rebounding like crazy. You have to box out and do a good job with your perimeters against their bigs.
“We know how good Bilodeau is. He hurt us last year at Oregon State. We know how good Eric Dailey is. He was one of the top players in the country going in as a freshman last year in Oklahoma State. There's a lot of talent on that team. They bring Kyle off the bench, a big athlete who can really crash the glass, and then they can move Bilodeau to the four. And Sebastian Mack, (wing Lazar) Stefanovic, these are guys that started a lot of games from last year. They're a hard cover." — UA associate head coach Jack Murphy, who scouted the Bruins
Key players
UCLA — Tyler Bilodeau
Arizona may have helped leverage Bilodeau into a better NIL deal and new opportunity with UCLA this season. Lightly known as a high school player in Kennewick, Washington — despite being the son of a former NHL first-round pick and mother who played pro basketball for seven years — Bilodeau scored 22 points while stretching outside to hit 3 of 4 3-pointers in Oregon State’s 83-80 upset win over the Wildcats last season in Corvallis.
Oregon State forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) drives to the basket as Arizona guard Caleb Love (2) defends during the second half Jan. 25, 2024, in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State won 83-80.
Arizona — Jaden Bradley
Bradley’s efficiency ranking has dipped predictably with his additional minutes and responsibilities as UA’s starting point guard this season. Ranked first among UA players last season, he’s now fourth at UA and 224th nationally. While Arizona might need all cylinders going to beat UCLA, the Wildcats especially need Bradley to handle the ball against the Bruins’ stifling defense.
Arizona’s Jaden Bradley looks to pass the ball during the first half against UCLA in Los Angeles, March 7, 2024.
Sidelines
Extra lab work
While the Wildcats often bus up to Tempe after holding practice at home the day before a game at ASU, they made an early trip to Phoenix this time, in part because the 1 p.m. tipoff doesn't make for an ideal morning shootaround.
The early trip allowed the Wildcats to hold a light workout at the Footprint Center Friday afternoon — and the chance for UA coach Tommy Lloyd and the players to take part in NIL-related and other pregame activities.
“There might be a few things tonight,” Lloyd said Friday, “but obviously, the main purpose is to come here and try to play well tomorrow.”
It’s a big goal. Arizona is 4-4, and UCLA is 8-1, ranked No. 24 after its win at Oregon on Sunday.
“I see a team that has a lot of experience,” Lloyd said of UCLA. “I think they have a lot of skill. They have a really good coach who knows how to control the game and play to their strengths and stay away from their weaknesses.
“UCLA has always been a hard game. We know when we step into this game, there's not going to be one loose ball, there's not going to be one rebound that's going to come easy. You're gonna have to fight for every square inch of any success you're gonna have.”
Caleb Amor
Regardless of whether Caleb Love scores off a pass from Conrad Martinez on Saturday, Love might credit an assist to UA’s point guard from Spain on Monday.
That’s when Love will take a final exam in Spanish as he continues on a track to pick up a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies next May. Saying he had to take Spanish and two electives in the fall, Love chuckled when asked if Martinez pushed him into the Español.
“Nah, but he’s helping me, though,” Love said. “Conrad helps for sure.”
While Martinez is a native Spanish speaker, Estonian big man Henri Veesaar also picked up an advance knowledge of the language while playing for Real Madrid’s youth club.
Better things to do
The way UCLA coach Mick Cronin explained it, the jump in Bruin forward Eric Dailey’s 3-point shooting percentage from 33.3% last season at Oklahoma State to 47.4% this season is a product of a work ethic you don’t always see these days.
“Especially in this era, when you put money in guys’ pockets, a lot of guys are at nice dinners trying to impress UCLA volleyball players, girls basketball players and cheerleaders,” Cronin said. “Eric Dailey’s in the gym.”
Cronin said Dailey’s improvement has stemmed from good shot selection, making the most of his role in the Bruins’ offense. Dailey typically spends most of his time at power forward but has stretched out to take about a quarter of his shots from beyond the arc.
Considering the “X and O's, he ends up open a lot,” Cronin said. “And it’s his work. … He's as dedicated as a player as I've ever coached, so a product of his shot-making is his work ethic. It's G.T. — gym time.
"Everybody thinks is this is rocket science sometimes. I know this: It's hard to get better if you're not in the gym, then we can get to what you're doing in the gym and all that.”
Numbers game
1: UCLA’s national rank in scoring defense, with opponents averaging just 55.1 points against the Bruins.
5: Straight Arizona wins over UCLA at non-campus sites, all at Las Vegas in the Pac-12 Tournament (2015, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2023)
62.5: 3-point shooting percentage of Anthony Dell’Orso over the Wildcats’ past four games.
— Bruce Pascoe
