This post was updated Jan. 26 at 10:38 p.m.

Appraisal of the Bruins’ backcourt reverberated through Westwood’s corridors during the team’s four-game skid early January. The whispers reflected a glaring truth: something was missing. 

Coach Mick Cronin’s backcourt didn’t seem good enough. 

Friday night, though, the Bruins didn’t have a choice. Tyler Bilodeau’s stride faltered while chasing Husky forward Great Osobor down the floor. One misstep – a tangle with the hardwood – and the junior forward crumpled to the floor clutching his leg. 

The backcourt could no longer be the question – it had to be the answer. It was time to certify that Cronin’s roster wasn’t tied to one man. 

As Washington (10-10, 1-8 Big Ten) floundered in the wake of Bilodeau’s absence, UCLA men’s basketball’s (14-6, 5-4) backcourt steered its team through a storm of skepticism. Guards sophomore Sebastian Mack, junior Skyy Clark, junior Dylan Andrews and senior Kobe Johnson extinguished Osobor and the Huskies’ fire en route to a 65-60 victory at Alaska Airlines Arena. 

“Tyler said he wanted to play, I put him in and I didn’t like the way he was moving. I’m more worried about his career and the rest of our season,” Cronin said. “I told the team, ‘We got enough players. I got confidence in you guys.’” 

Andrews’ floor general duties became something of a double-edged sword through UCLA’s January turmoil. He was tasked to dictate tempo and orchestrate his team’s offense, but simultaneously, his ineffective efforts to oil an often-lifeless attack drew scrutiny.

He hit an icy patch between Dec. 21 and Jan. 13 – mustering just 14 points through seven outings. It manifested in a 1-for-23 slump from deep as muted performances became a recurring theme. 

Frustration only intensified as he struggled to resemble his early-season or late-last-season rhythm. But Friday night offered a flicker of familiarity from Dec. 8 when Andrews’ desperation 3-pointer toppled then-No. 12 Oregon. 

“We had a little different play drawn up to iso him, but they denied it,” Cronin said. “He did a great job of creating. I just tried to calm him down throughout the game and tell him to get his feet set.” 

With 17 seconds on the clock against the Huskies, Andrews danced behind the arc. A single dribble created space and forced his defender to stumble ever so slightly. A moment’s hesitation allowed Andrews to glide into open territory and drain a triple to shift the game’s fate in favor of the Bruins. 

“My teammates and coach (were) talking to me, letting me know, ‘Man, just make a shot. Don’t worry about the last one that you missed. Next play.’ So I have credit to them – credit to coach, to my teammates – for keeping me confident.” 

Andrews’ magic from deep crowned a nine-point, three-assist outing on a night defined by the Bruins’ backcourt. 

Clark thawed the scoreboard first for UCLA – and second and third. Less than four minutes in, Clark had poured in the Bruins’ first nine points on perfect shooting from the perimeter.

He proceeded to do what he does best – stay unrelenting in a hunt for any opportunity to tip the scales in UCLA’s favor. Attacking the basket, soaring to the glass or threading the needle – Clark delivered 12 points, six rebounds and three assists. 

“We knew it was going to be a tough game, because they’re here, at home, they play with a lot of physicality, they play really good,” said sophomore center Aday Mara – who posted 12 points and five blocks through a career-high 30 minutes. “But we knew it, and we tried to not lose the ball.

A well-timed spurt can often rattle opponents and turn tides in basketball. It just requires a flash of precision.

After UCLA took a 43-35 lead in the second half, the Huskies barely squandered time to respond, bouncing back into action with a 7-2 run to catapult the score to 45-42. 

But then the Mack Attack commenced. It was indeed a well-timed surge. 

A deep 3, offensive charge and another dagger from beyond the arc pushed the Bruins to their biggest advantage of the evening at 51-42 with about 12 minutes to play. Poise under pressure and Clark’s animation on both ends of the court ignited both his bench and the Alaska Airlines Arena.

Johnson, meanwhile, didn’t need his own stretch of wizardry. Instead, the veteran guard strung together 11 points alongside nine rebounds through a team-high 38 minutes. Consistency often seems to be his buzzword.

“(Johnson) hit a big 3 when they were coming back. We ran something for him, he got off the screen and hit a big 3,” Cronin said. “I just thought he was a calming influence.”