LEXINGTON, Ky. — Tennessee basketball advanced to the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament by knocking off Wofford 77-62 on Thursday afternoon.
The Vols will now face UCLA on Saturday with a spot in the Sweet 16 on the line. Tennessee is looking to advance to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season, something they’ve never done before.
Here’s a look at the UCLA Bruins ahead of the matchup.
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How The Bruins Got Here
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin went on a generational run of quotes talking about his team and Big 10 scheduling back in January. At the time, Cronin had lots of reasons to be unhappy. The Bruins lost four straight games and five out of six around the New Year and was squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble.
But after that, UCLA got on a roll. The Bruins won seven straight games following the four-game losing streak and won 11 of their final 14 regular season games. UCLA lost to Wisconsin in its first game of the Big 10 Tournament before earning a seven-seed in the Big Dance.
The Bruins dominated 10-seed Utah State 72-47 in the first round of the tournament behind a 14-point performance from Skyy Clark.
UCLA’s Strengths
UCLA is really good in one specific area, forcing turnovers. The Bruins force turnovers on over 20% of their opponents’ possessions for a mark that ranks seventh nationally.
This year’s UCLA squad is a classic Mick Cronin team. The Bruins slow the pace of the game down and are good on the defensive end of the court. UCLA entered the NCAA Tournament ranked 17th nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency.
Offensively, UCLA has been a good rebounding team this season though Utah State had success against them on the glass Thursday night. The Bruins do the bulk of their damage from two-point range, totaling over 50% of their points from inside the arc.
UCLA doesn’t shoot a lot of three-pointers but they do shoot at a solid 35.2% clip. No singular player shoots a lot of three-pointers but a number are threats, particularly Skyy Clark and Tyler Bilodeau.
UCLA’s Weaknesses
UCLA doesn’t have many true weaknesses. They’ve been an average defensive rebounding team this season and are an overall average team offensively, ranking 36th in adjusted offensive efficiency.
The Bruins defense has been so-so in a couple different areas. Opponents score a lot of points from three-point range. That’s not a great trait ahead of a matchup against Chaz Lanier. But even there, the Bruins aren’t a bad three-point defense with opponents shooting just 33.2% from deep.
Opponents also do a good job of getting to the foul line against UCLA. The Bruins give up over 20% of their points at the foul line. That’s an area where Tennessee has thrived in recent weeks.
Standout Bruins
One of UCLA’s bigger strengths is its depth. The Bruins rank in the top 75 nationally in bench minutes and have five players that average between eight and 13.6 points per game.
Junior forward Tyler Bilodeau is UCLA’s leading scorer with 13.6 points per game and does it on an efficient 50% shooting from the field and 40% shooting from three-point range. The 6-foot-9 forward is the type of player that has given Tennessee issues this season because of his ability to score at the rim and from the perimeter.
Sophomore guard Eric Dailey is another top offensive option and enters the game averaging 11.6 points on 40% shooting from three-point range.
UCLA does not have a true point guard though Sebastian Mack spends more time running the point than anyone else. Mack dishes out just 1.8 assists per game to go along with 10 points.
Kobe Johnson is a 6-foot-6 wing but plays with toughness. He leads UCLA with 5.9 rebounds per game to go along with 8.1 points.
Center Aday Mara plays just 12 minutes per game but is a mountain of a man at 7-foot-3. He gave Utah State fits with 10 points, six rebounds and five blocks. Tennessee needs to keep Felix Okpara out of foul trouble because Mara would be a bad matchup for the shorter Cade Phillips.
