LOS ANGELES — Among the various strengths related to the depth the UCLA men’s basketball team acquired this past offseason, head coach Mick Cronin was excited for one specific aspect with this group.
“I’ve always wanted enough really good players on the perimeter that I could have a good passing team,” Cronin told reporters on Nov. 7. “That’s a coach’s dream.”
Through 17 games, though, the Bruins hadn’t fulfilled that dream. They ranked 60th among Division I teams, averaging 15.5 assists per game. On Friday, Iowa (12-6 overall, 3-4 Big Ten) tested UCLA’s passing ability, pressing the hosts full-court throughout and dropping back into a 2-3 zone. The Bruins ball movement nullified both those schemes. UCLA (12-6, 3-4) had assists on 26 of its 36 field goals and crushed the Hawkeyes, 94-70, to end a four-game losing streak.
Eric Dailey Jr. scored a career-high 23 points to lead the Bruins, and Tyler Bilodeau added 18. Skyy Clark and William Kyle III each had 12 points, while Dylan Andrews scored 13, cracking double-digits for the first time since Dec. 17. The Bruins’ offense rebounded after a string of ugly performances as five players scored in double-digits in large part because of their ball movement.
Andrews was re-inserted into the starting lineup after an illness limited him to just five minutes in Monday’s 75-68 loss to Rutgers. He benefited from the Bruins’ selfless play as the ball found him for a pair of catch-and-shoot 3-pointers in the opening 10 minutes.
Andrews confidence has wavered throughout the season, but self-doubt seemed to exude from his body as he unleashed a growl and flexed toward the UCLA bench after sticking his third 3-pointer of the first half. If any uncertainty remained, it dissipated when he shoulder-bumped Brock Harding to create space for a mid-range jumper that beat the first-half buzzer.
His shot capped UCLA’s best half in conference play, if not the season. The Bruins built a 31-9 lead by the 11:17 mark of the first half and led by 38 with 1:16 left before halftime. They shot 65.7% from the field (23 for 35) with 18 assists on their way to a 57-24 lead at the break.
They broke down the Hawkeyes’ zone with quick swings of the ball that constantly found an open man at the high post. Whether it was Dailey, Bilodeau, or Kyle, whoever manned that high post spot, made the right decision.
After conceding 78.5 points over the last four games, UCLA held Iowa, the highest-scoring team in the Big Ten, to its second-lowest total of the season. The Bruins didn’t pressure the length of the court like they did against Rutgers. They didn’t commit untimely fouls like they did against Maryland. They just played solid man-to-man defense, contained pick-and-roll actions and jumped passing lanes.
They forced the Hawkeyes into 15 turnovers (12 before halftime), 5.6 more than their average (10.4). Along with his career night on offense, Dailey was vital in disrupting the Hawkeyes’ offense as he anticipated passes and broke up sets before they were initiated.
Dailey’s value extends beyond the court, as the Bruins were seeking vocal leaders to step up amid their struggles and he, according to Cronin and teammate Kobe Johnson, fulfilled that role. He then backed up his words with Friday’s performance.
After a stretch of games that taught the Bruins about the reality of the physicality level in the Big Ten, they brought the intensity to Iowa. They played defense with their feet and chests, not their hands. They beat the Hawkeyes to the boards. They looked like the team that stifled offenses for the first two months of the season, the one each player and coach knew still existed but just needed rediscovering.
UP NEXT
UCLA will host 24th-ranked Wisconsin (14-3, 10-1) on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
More to come on this story.