Don’t look now, the UCLA Bruins have four wins against top 10 teams this season. UCLA has had plenty of opportunities, playing in the Big Ten and facing Arizona and Gonzaga in non-conference play, and the Bruins are 4-3 against top-10 teams.
UCLA’s latest top-10 win came against Tom Izzo and the Michigan State Spartans, as UCLA won 88-84 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Friday. Tyler Bilodeau played just 10 minutes before returning from a knee injury, and the Bruins got the win.
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Ben Borch of the California Post announced that Bilodeau will not play in Saturday’s semifinals against Purdue, but Bilodeau will play in next week’s NCAA tournament with a diagnosis of a mild right knee sprain.
Donovan Dent has been exceptional at UCLA over the past few weeks, but it’s hard to imagine the Bruins being consistent in the NCAA Tournament long term without Bilodeau.
“Winning this game with Taylor only playing 10 minutes was monumental for us. Monumental for us,” Mick Cronin said in the post-game press conference. “I think these guys didn’t back down. I’m proud of them for that.”
UCLA didn’t get a big contribution from Xavier Booker, who fouled out without scoring in 14 minutes. In order for the Bruins to have a chance against Purdue, and in the NCAA Tournament, UCLA will need more frontcourt players without Bilodeau. Brandon Williams performed well in place of Cronin, and Steven Jamerson played just two minutes in the win.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wired: UCLA will lose its leading scorer in Saturday’s semifinals