Bruins' Senior Forward Gearing Up for Biggest Season

Tyler Bilodeau is facing his biggest season yet.

As a transfer junior from Oregon State last season, Bilodeau was named to the 2024–25 All-Big Ten team in his first year in Westwood.

He and rising junior Eric Dailey Jr. were two of the Bruins’ most relied-upon players for a team that went 23–11 but fell to the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Last season, he averaged 13.5 points per game and 4.6 rebounds, all while maintaining a steady jump shot from deep.

The Bruins were as average as it got shooting from beyond the arc, and it significantly hindered them from making any substantial progress — especially in big games.

Bilodeau and Skyy Clark each shot 40% from three, and Dailey shot 37%, but as a team, the Bruins only attempted 21 threes per game, which ranked 245th in the nation.

Luckily, UCLA brought on some help to address that woe through the transfer portal, bringing in Jamar Brown and Xavier Booker, both of whom have an aptitude for shooting from deep.

However, one lingering problem for the Bruins since Tyger Campbell left has been average guard play. If you get solid guard play, it opens the door for more perimeter shooting.

For the Bruins, quality guard play wasn’t in the cards, which limited Bilodeau’s opportunities to showcase his talents from deep.

Point guard Donovan Dent is the catalyst now. His ability to collapse defenses can create space in ways that may leave multiple shooters wide open.

When he drives to the net, he can kick it out to the corner, or they can swing it around the perimeter for someone to nail a three.

Which is where Bilodeau comes into play.

He’s a solid scorer, but as a main option, your team’s ceiling lowers drastically. It’s part of the reason UCLA wasn’t able to make a whole lot of noise in the NCAA Tournament.

If it hadn’t been for its defense, the Bruins would’ve been painfully average, and even suggesting an NCAA Tournament appearance might’ve been a reach.

But that’s what makes this season so important for Bilodeau.

All the pressure is off him.

He becomes a complementary piece for the Bruins instead of being the focus of the offense — which doesn’t fit his style of play. Dent can take the pressure off, and all Bilodeau needs to do is wait on the perimeter and knock down shots.

This team has immense depth, and Bilodeau has the chance to not only be a massive part of their success, but also improve his draft stock.