The departure of Bruin greats – namely Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Jaylen Clark – left a gaping void for a conspicuous offensive standout. 

Several Bruins made their case to plug that hole Wednesday night. 

Amid minutes from 11 different players and double-digit contributions from three different Bruins, UCLA men’s basketball (4-1) cruised to a 84-70 victory over Idaho State (2-4) on Wednesday.

A nip-and-tuck affair characterized the start of the first half at Pauley Pavilion, as the Bengals and Bruins ensured the scoreboard was one of margins. 

Coach Mick Cronin said he was impressed by Idaho State’s tenacity, particularly that of forward Jake O’Neil.

“I shook his hand,” Cronin said. “No bigger than 6’4, this guy’s averaging over nine rebounds a game.”

Despite O’Neil’s dominant rebounding throughout the game, the names on the scoreboard were first controlled by a select few.

Idaho State forward Isaiah Griffin scored all 12 of the Bengals’ points through the first 10 minutes of play, while sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. splashed 12 points of his own for UCLA, accounting for 60% of his team’s production by the same stage. 

Dailey was the workhorse of the first 20 minutes of play, pacing the Bruins in points and rebounds while maintaining a flawless clip from the field and beyond the arc. 

With most of UCLA’s five on the court scoreless, coach Mick Cronin made numerous rotations throughout the first half – continuing his search for a winning combination.

Eventually, Cronin said he hopes for the squad to play heavy in the front court, with 6-foot-9 junior forward Tyler Bilodeau, 6-foot-8 Dailey and 6-foot-9 junior forward William Kyle III on the court at the same time.

Currently, he has a revolving door of a roster at his perusal – and its potential took effect in the latter half of the first frame.

Kyle entered and sank the first dunk of the game, while Dailey and Bilodeau each drilled a 3-pointer within exactly two minutes of each other. The burst of scoring was punctuated by sophomore guard Sebastian Mack’s perfect free throw record resulting in a 9-of-9 clip by the end of the half.

“He’s (Mack is) just really improving in his pace and his decision making,” Cronin said. “I’ve always loved his toughness. So he’s a bright spot for us. At the guard position, we haven’t had a lot of bright spots”

Rotations empowered the Bruins on the other end of the floor as well, as UCLA held Idaho State scoreless for 4:03 minutes in the latter half of the opening stanza. A 12-10 deficit that may have worried Cronin quickly mounted into a 41-27 advantage heading into the locker room at half. 

Mack’s tenacity – a hallmark of his presence on the court – sustained throughout the second half as he drove himself to the charity stripe eight times through the game for a 15-of-16 clip.

The rest of the team summed for just 10 total attempts from the line – a testament to Mack’s unparalleled scrappiness and agility in the paint. 

“It’s really just taking whatever the defense gives you,” Mack said. “Then just playing it from there.”

The rest of Cronin’s bench split minutes on the hardwood, with Bilodeau showing off his versatility. Sinking four 3s and gathering four rebounds, the 6-foot-9 forward contributed to UCLA’s 64.3% accuracy from deep.

The Bruins’ efforts from deep were a far cry from seasons past – where a lack of sharp shooting plagued the Bruins, averaging a 33.2% clip last year and 34.9% the year before. In fact, the Bruins’ 64.3% figure Wednesday night was the highest they’ve reached since Feb. 26, 2022 against Oregon State.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit earlier this season, but we all believe that we’re a really good shooting team,” Bilodeau said. “It can be anyone’s night from there. We got a bunch of really good shooters.”

Junior guard Dylan Andrews – poised to be the Bruins’ starting point guard this year – checked into the game several times after a three-game absence due to a groin injury, yet was quickly yanked off the floor each time after committing avoidable turnovers.

Mack, Dailey and Bilodeau closed Wednesday’s action in a close race for the scoreboard’s winning spot. 

Although UCLA’s victory was clear, the race for an offensive powerhouse was not.