Scouting Notes: UCLA

Indiana basketball arrives back at Assembly Hall on Friday to take on UCLA, after a massive win over Michigan State earlier in the week.

UCLA enters Friday’s matchup at 19-4 overall and 10-2 in Big Ten play. The Bruins rank 44th in offensive efficiency with a rating of 116.9. Defensively, they rank 11th overall with a 94.6 rating. Overall, UCLA is ranked 26th in KenPom’s ratings.

Here is a deep dive into some of the challenges Michigan State could give the Indiana basketball program.

Key Players

Headlined by a group of transfers, Tyler Bilodeau leads the Bruins and can do a little bit of everything on the floor. What he lacks in size, he makes up in length. What he lacks in speed, he makes up for in IQ. Bilodeau can play both in the paint and on the perimeter and has the skill to take a defender off the dribble. Bilodeau’s game starts in the paint and on the block where he is quick on his feet, patient and skilled turning over either shoulder. Where he can take over games, however, is from three. He is shooting 43.2 percent on 3s and is coming off of a 7-of-12 performance the last time out. He’s not a super high-volume shooter and has just six games where he’s made multiple 3s. His ability to hit from the perimeter allows him to utilize ball fakes and get his defender off balance to allow him to attack the rim.

Eric Dailey plays alongside Bilodeau and is extremely versatile in the front court. The lefty is extremely productive in the pick and pop game, spreading the floor as a shooter. While he’s taking just 2.7 3s a game, he’s made a three in 15 games and is shooting 46.7 percent over the last six games. UCLA likes to post up Dailey and let him use his athleticism to face up and make plays that way. He has a very smooth jumper and such fluid athleticism that he can can get past defenders at ease. This is going to be an X-factor matchup for the Indiana basketball program.

In the backcourt is Sebastian Mack who comes off the bench and can fill it up in a hurry. The 6-foot-3 guard has great size and is super shifty with the ball in his hands. He’s always in attack mode and has 15 games with 10+ points this year. He’s not a threat from three, shooting sub-30 percent on the year — but he’s difficult to defend when he’s slashing towards the basket. Mack loves to seek out contact and averages nearly five trips a game to the free throw line. While he has playmaking ability for his teammates, he’s typically a score-first playmaker. Despite coming off the bench, he has the highest usage rate on the roster.

Kobe Johnson is an extremely versatile wing who sets the tone defensively for UCLA. He ranks 5th in the Big Ten in steals, steal rate and defensive win shares. With his length and size, he is the key disruptor that leads UCLA the other way in transition. Offensively, he is best with the ball in his hands making plays for teammates. He has 15 games with 3+ assists and holds a 2.1-to-1 assist to turnover ratio. While Johnson is best attacking downhill, he settles for jumpers a lot as well, with 47 percent of his shot attempts coming from three. He’s made more than one three in just six games, however.

Skyy Clark is the lead guard for UCLA but is limited in how he plays — also, very streaky. Right now, he’s on one of his best streaks of the season and is averaging 10.5 points and shooting 41.2 percent from three in the last eight games. Over that span, he also has 25 assists to just 5 turnovers. Clark is going to begin by attacking the basket and has a quick first step causing the defense to sag off slightly, thus opening up his jumper. Five of his seven double-digit outputs this year have been in the last eight games.

In the backcourt with Clark is Dylan Andrews. Andrews is terrific with the ball in his hands, rarely turning the ball over and has great vision. He has 22 assists and just three turnovers in the last five games, and has 10 games with one or less turnovers in the last 14 games. He’s a good shooter, but most of his looks will be on kickouts, not off of the dribble. If Indiana goes zone, Andrews will likely spend a lot of time at the free throw line to utilize his passing ability when the defense collapses.

Aday Mara comes off the bench and provides terrific size and length at 7-foot-3. He plays just 12.3 minutes a game but ranks 7th in the league in total blocks. His per-40 minute average is 4.6 blocks per game. Mara is still a bit raw offensively but has good footwork and soft touch around the rim. He’s not going to be the focal point every possession, but he is very effective on the block. He’s averaging 9.1 points across the last seven games.

Despite being a starter last year, Lazar Stefanovic has taken a back seat this season but is still a very good shooter. In the last eight games, however, he’s struggled and has been held scoreless in five games. He is part of the back end of the UCLA rotation and still will keep the IU defense honest when he’s on the floor.

Key Tendencies

UCLA is not a team that will overpower you offensively, rather wait for opponents to make mistakes. UCLA ranks in the top-20 in turnover rate, rarely giving opponents easy opportunities on the other end. The Bruins do a tremendous job at moving the ball and finding very good shots, sometimes to a fault. They have six players averaging more than 7.7 points a game and are able to spread defenses out with multiple ball handlers and playmakers on the wing. As a team, UCLA shoots 35 percent from three with six players in their regular rotation shooting that percent, or above. While they do have numerous playmakers with the ball, the Bruins aren’t a team that will force the issue out in space — or even try to push the tempo. They rank 310th in tempo and 226th in possession length.

Defensively, UCLA is extremely talented. They are long, athletic and versatile on the perimeter and in the paint and the ability to turn teams over will be a major concern for Indiana basketball on Friday night. UCLA ranks 1st in the nation in defensive turnover rate — at 24 percent. The Bruins also rank 2nd in non-steal percent and 26th in steal rate — so IU’s ability to limit turnovers will be critical. The Bruins have nine games with at least 10 steals. If teams aren’t turning the ball over against UCLA, they are able to score with good ball movement. UCLA plays an aggressive style of defense and will overhelp at times. Opposing teams have an assist rate of 57.9 — 315th worst from a defensive perspective. That also leads to, typically, open looks from three. UCLA is allowing opponents to attempt 44.8 percent of total shots from three — 332nd in the country from a defensive perspective. Teams are shooting just 31.9 percent from three, however.

Overall, UCLA is going to limit the amount of possessions all game and put a premium on being efficient — something IU does in spurts. The Bruins are deep and versatile all over the floor and are a team that won’t typically beat themselves. Indiana basketball needs to do what it can to try to speed up the game when it can, convert on open looks from three and be able to take advantage of the foul line because UCLA does not give up easy 2s very frequently.

Projected Starters

G – Dylan Andrews (Junior; 6-2, 175)

Stats: 7.7 ppg, 3.1 apg, 34.2% 3pt

G –  Skyy Clark (Junior; 6-3, 200)

Stats: 7.7 ppg, 2.8 apg, 1.3 spg, 36.4% 3pt

G – Kobe Johnson (Senior; 6-5, 180)

Stats: 8.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1.8 spg

F – Eric Dailey (Sophomore; 6-8, 235)

Stats: 11.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.3 spg, 37.5% 3pt

F – Tyler Bilodeau (Junior; 6-9, 230)

Stats: 14.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 43.2% 3pt

Key Notes

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