November basketball is the training ground for what is to come.
It’s not conference play, but it’s also not the postseason. A win will not guarantee a ticket to the tournament, and a defeat will not destroy a season.
And clashes against other Power Four opponents during the nonconference slate allow teams to assess what they have and what they do not.
When No. 18 UCLA men’s basketball (5-1) faces California (5-1) on Tuesday at the Chase Center, coach Mick Cronin will see how his lineup performs in its second straight game without senior forward Tyler Bilodeau. The team’s leading scorer from last season missed the squad’s victory against Presbyterian on Friday because of a left knee strain suffered in practice, and he will likely miss the Tuesday night affair.
“It could be a week, it could be two weeks. It’s tough to say,” Cronin said. “We will know more every couple of days. He’s just got a sprained knee. He caught a big break, I saw it happen.”
Redshirt sophomore guard/forward Brandon Williams has been the next man up with Bilodeau out. And he proved his worth Friday night, posting 11 points on 4-for-7 shooting from the field, adding a 3-pointer as well.
The 11-point performance was his highest scoring total since January 17, 2024, when UCLA defeated Arizona State.
And William’s production was not limited to scoring either. He also grabbed seven rebounds – an area of emphasis for Cronin.
“I think it was his best game of his career and especially as a Bruin,” Cronin said.
Williams’ career day coincided with senior guard Skyy Clark’s improved shooting night.
Clark had failed to reach double-digit points in three straight games heading into the affair against Presbyterian, combining for 26 points on 9-for-23 shooting from the field across that stretch.
But he garnered a Bruin career-high of 22 points on 9-for-11 shooting from the field Friday, the backcourt threat’s highest scoring total since he dropped 36 for Louisville in the ACC tournament against NC State on March 12, 2024.
“My teammates trusting me, and just taking what the defense was giving me,” Clark said in regard to his Friday performance. “There were a lot of open lanes. Coach said that they’re a ‘deny’ team, so they leave a lot of gaps for drives. I just saw it and made the layup.”
But the Golden Bears may challenge the Bruins, even with their improvements on both sides of the ball.
6-foot-2 guard Dai Dai Ames – who will most likely garner Clark’s coverage – leads the team with 18.8 points per game, a mark that ranks No. 11 in the ACC, on 55.8% shooting from the field and 53.1% from beyond the arc.
Ames isn’t the only player who boasts double-figure scoring, either.
All five Golden Bear starters average double-digit points, with forwards Chris Bell and John Camden trailing Ames with 15.7 and 14.8 points per game, respectively. Bell – who stands at 6-foot-7 – will most likely guard junior guard/center Eric Dailey Jr., who stands at 6 feet, 8 inches tall and matches Bell’s guard-like skillset.
The matchup could prove advantageous for the Bruins in the rebound column, since Dailey is a workhorse on the defensive glass, averaging the second-most boards per contest on the team with 5.2 – an attribute that Cronin consistently highlights.
“Our defensive rebounding was the best it had been all year,” Cronin said. “They (the Golden Bears) didn’t shoot it well, but they got some guys who can rebound.”
Rebounding is also a pitfall for the Cal squad, which ranks last in the ACC in combined team rebounds, No. 17 in team offensive boards and No. 15 in both rebounding margin and team defensive rebounds.
But Ames’ backcourt partner Justin Pippen – a Michigan transfer and the son of NBA Hall of Fame Chicago Bulls guard Scottie Pippen – averages five rebounds per contest, despite standing at 6 feet, 3 inches tall.
The game against California marks the final non-conference game – barring a contest against Gonzaga on Dec. 13 – before UCLA commences its Big Ten slate against Washington on Dec. 3.
But before the team gets ahead of itself, the Bruins are focusing on being the best versions of themselves.
“I think that we know what we need to do,” Williams said. “We all want to be successful, so we’re just coming together and doing what we have to do to win.”
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