Oregon State forward Tyler Bilodeau announces transfer to UCLA men’s basketball
Former Oregon State forward Tyler Bilodeau (left), who announced his transfer to UCLA men’s basketball Saturday afternoon, defends freshman guard Sebastian Mack (right). (Shane Yu/Daily Bruin staff)
By Joseph Crosby
April 20, 2024 3:45 p.m.
This post was updated April 24 at 2:02 p.m.
UCLA’s impending move to the Big Ten has secured many of its teams’ futures.
But in the wake of its – and nine other Pac-12 schools’ departures to the Big Ten, Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference – two schools are still on the hunt for a permanent solution for a collapsing conference. With those lingering question marks, many of Oregon State and Washington State’s men’s basketball players entered the transfer portal.
Saturday, a Beaver found a new home with the Bruins.
Former Oregon State sophomore forward Tyler Bilodeau announced his commitment to UCLA men’s basketball on Instagram on Saturday afternoon. Bilodeau was one of seven Beavers to enter the transfer portal after a 13-19 season that ended at the hands of the Bruins in the first round of the Pac-12 tournament.
Bilodeau was one of Oregon State’s lone bright spots this season, averaging 14.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game – both good for second on the team – in a breakout sophomore campaign. He started in all 32 of the Beavers’ games and recorded a 10-point, 14-rebound double-double in the Pac-12 regular-season opener against the Bruins.
Prior to this week, UCLA was in need of frontcourt reinforcements with sophomore forward/center Adem Bona entering the NBA Draft and redshirt fifth-year Kenneth Nwuba’s eligibility expiring. Center Aday Mara, forward Berke Buyuktuncel and guard/forward Brandon Williams were not consistent scorers in their freshmen campaigns, each averaging under five points per game.
Now, the additions of Bilodeau and former Oklahoma State forward Eric Dailey Jr. – who committed to UCLA on Tuesday – signal new depth and experience for coach Mick Cronin to rotate in at the four or stretch five.
Bilodeau marks the fourth transfer to join Cronin’s team for the 2024-2025 season, alongside Dailey, former USC guard Kobe Johnson and former Louisville guard Skyy Clark. They will be joined by four-star guard Eric Freeny, using five scholarships on the roster. However, Cronin still has one scholarship remaining by virtue of five departing players and one scholarship left unused this past year.
While it remains to be seen if Cronin will stick with 12 scholarship players as he did this season, the Bruins’ roster next year is already set with a number of new faces.
