Tyler Bilodeau preseason player spotlight

Tyler Bilodeau enters his second season in Westwood after transferring to UCLA before the 2024/25 season from Oregon State. Bilodeau led the team 13.5 points per game and showed tremendous growth in expanding his game to shoot 40% from 3-point range. This helped space the floor for his teammates and allowed Mick Cronin more ways to operate the offense without fear of congested lanes.

Now with one season under his belt in Cronin's system, Bilodeau will look to be a key contributor that helps push the Bruins farther into March this upcoming season. Last year in a 67-58 loss to Tennessee in the round of 32, Bilodeau was one of the few bright spots that night scoring 15. While the offense had trouble scoring, he made plays to help keep UCLA within reach. His scoring will need to take another leap to help take some pressure off of Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark in the backcourt.

The positive outlook that can be seen is there is the possibility that Bilodeau will move back to power forward full time with the transfer of Xavier Booker from Michigan State. This will help Bilodeau not have to exert so much energy on defense having to guard centers. The Bruins can downshift guys to normal positions, as in the 2024/25 season they used a lot of three guard lineups with Bilodeau playing center. His playmaking on offense will help generate good looks as he sees the court very well.

Bilodeau will play a huge role this season and there is reason to believe that with a good portal offseason by the Bruins, Bilodeau will continue to develop. He played some of his best basketball against big time opponents in North Carolina and Illinois by putting up 26 and 25 respectively on 58% shooting. This will help UCLA as they have aspirations that reach far beyond the round of 32 where they were stopped in 2025.