Purdue Basketball Preview: Game 29 — UCLA

Posted by author February 28, 2025 Basketball

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Looking to snap a stunning four-game losing streak, Purdue returns home for its on and only meeting this regular season meeting with UCLA.

A FEW THINGS ABOUT PURDUE

• With a win, Purdue go 4-0 this season against the Big Ten’s new West Coast contingent, having already beaten USC at home and both Washington and Oregon on the road.

• Braden Smith needs just three more assists to become Purdue’s all-time career leader.

• Quite a disappointing run Purdue is on.

In the past four games, its first half leads have peaked at an average of 9.8 points.

It has been outscored on average 47-35 after halftime.

Its last three opponents have combined to shoot 51-of-75 in second halves. That’s 68 percent.

• At 11-6, Purdue has the same Big Ten record as Maryland and UCLA, trying to hold off both of them in hopes of getting the Big Ten Tournament’s 4 seed and the double bye that comes with it. Purdue already holds the tie-breaker over Maryland.

ABOUT THIS GAME

• UCLA has won just one Big Ten game this season outside the Pacific coast, that win coming at Indiana two weeks ago.

After visiting Illinois and Indiana Feb. 11 and 14, respectively, the Bruins have traveled back to the Midwest to play at Purdue Friday and Northwestern Monday.

• Known fot its physical and aggressive defense, UCLA is No. 1 in the Big Ten in defensive turnover percentage, at better than 20 percent. The Bruins force opponents deeper into the shot clock than anyone in the league, but aren’t great defending the rim, though that may change when 7-foot-3, 240-pound center Aday Mara is in the game. He plays only about 13 minutes per game but has blocked a team-best 40 shots in that time.

The Bruins allow only 69 points per game in Big Ten, second to only Michigan State (66).

• Leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau, a 6-9, 230-pounder who came to UCLA from Oregon State, averages about 14 points and shoots 44 percent from three. He made seven triples at Illinois earlier this month.

THREE KEYS FOR PURDUE

TURNOVERS	EASY BASKETS	THE INTERIOR
This, along with defensive regression, has spelled doom for Purdue of late. If Purdue needs to be tested in this area, this is the right opponent at the right time, because UCLA is really going to apply pressure on the Boilermakers’ guard. This will have to be a primo Braden Smith game. No way around it.	Every fast-break point or second-chance point or every free throw off the bonus Purdue gets will enhance its chances to win. UCLA is going to want to make this a slower, lower-possessions game and challenge everything. Easy points are gold.	Defensive rebounding could very well decide this game, particularly for Purdue should things go its way. They have to rebound without fouling and keep UCLA from getting easy putbacks or second-chance threes, especially when Mara is on the floor.

Purdue’s bound for a breakout and UCLA’s not played great in Middle America. Its travel situation has to be a factor in this one. If Purdue isn’t hyper-focused to take care of the ball against this particular opponent, it’s never going to be.