This post was updated March 14 at 4:11 p.m.

CHICAGO – Mick Cronin seemed to jinx himself before tip-off even commenced.

“If I didn’t have bad luck, I’d have no luck at all since I’ve been at UCLA with injuries,” the UCLA men’s basketball coach said after his squad upset No. 3 seed Michigan State Friday night.

The Bruins prevailed over the Spartans despite senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, leaving the game with a knee sprain.

But when senior guard Donovan Dent – an All-Big Ten honorable mention who has logged 77 assists to six turnovers over his last seven games – plays just 10 minutes, beating the No. 18 team in the nation becomes more fantasy than challenge.

And the Bruins were left dreaming of Big Ten championship allure as No. 7 seed Purdue (26-8, 13-7 Big Ten) defeated No. 6 seed UCLA men’s basketball (23-11, 13-7) 73-66 on Saturday afternoon in the Big Ten tournament semifinals at the United Center in Chicago. While Dent and Bilodeau both leave the Windy City injured, the duo is likely to return for the NCAA tournament.

But even through the loss of the Bruins’ two leading scorers – and arguably the most impactful players on the team – UCLA refused to waver.

“Down two great players, but we got other great players, and they came up with a valiant effort today, so couldn’t be more proud of them,” Cronin said. “Guys stepped up on our team. Valiant, valiant effort by some kids that hadn’t played a lot – Brandon Williams, Steve Jamerson, Eric Freeny – those three guys in particular, off the bench.”

The Bruins didn’t just lie down – they fought until the end, tying the game at 62-62 despite trailing by as much as 13 in the second half and holding just one lead all game – 2-0.

Just as the Bruins continuously responded to the Spartans’ attempts to come back into the game Friday, the Boilermakers stymied any chance of the Bruins retaking a lead they held just once, with 19:44 remaining in the first half. 

And Purdue’s semifinal bout was not decided by either its First Team All-Big Ten selection,  guard Braden Smith, or even All-Big Ten honorable mention forward Trey Kaufman-Renn.

Enter: Oscar Cluff.

The Boilermaker center terrorized the Bruin frontcourt, garnering 17 points and 14 rebounds on 6-for-11 shooting from the field.

Before tip-off even commenced, Cronin acknowledged that he would need both of his backup big men – redshirt senior forward/center Steven Jamerson II and junior forward/center Xavier Booker – to rise to the occasion with Bilodeau’s absence looming over the squad.

And while Booker may have been proficient on the offensive end, turning in 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting from the field, he struggled to keep up with Cluff, who dominated both ends of the paint.

“I love Book, but he’s gotta rebound the ball,” Cronin said. “He gave us some good offense today, but defense and rebounding have got to improve. Him (Steven Jamerson) and Book played 40 minutes at center, and they had a combined two rebounds. And their five man (Cluff) had 14. The five spot was 14 to two, everything else was a wash, so there lies the issue.”

Booker has had little trouble all year giving the Bruins offensive juice, but has struggled to replicate his production on the defensive end. And while some of Cluff’s points came on mismatches under the rim on guard-to-big switches, that lack of defensive awareness will prove lethal come March Madness.

But Booker was not the sole issue in the frontcourt.

Jamerson scored five points but grabbed as many rebounds as he did fouls, with one each. But he did provide a spark off the bench when the Bruins lacked the energy and confidence they boasted against the Spartans the night before.

“They (Booker and Jamerson) had seven baskets, so they got 17 points, but you can’t get one rebound out of your center position, especially when you’re playing Purdue, which is a great rebounding team – they’re one of the best in the country,” Cronin said. “That was the difference in the game.”

Rounding out the Bilodeau-less frontcourt, redshirt sophomore guard Brandon Williams failed to replicate his all-around performance from the night before, when he dropped nine points, four rebounds, and three steals – garnering just three points and one rebound while fouling four times.

Regardless of the quality of play from the big men depth, getting experience for the bench players in high-pressure situations could pay dividends later on.

“We fought hard. Steven Jameson, Brandon Williams, Eric Freeny, all those guys that came off the bench, it’s going to be key for them, especially coming into March Madness with whatever we got to face,” said sophomore guard Trent Perry.

And in Dent’s absence, the typically stout backcourt failed to mirror the prolific scoring it posted just the night before, where the Bruins hit 13 3-pointers, the team’s most since 2008.

Perry and senior guard Skyy Clark combined for 25 points, but the former went 4-for-12 from the field and the latter 4-for-11.

Without the Bruins’ star point guard and leading scorer, mustering enough firepower to defeat the Boilermakers became a feat too tall to reach.

“We’ve definitely been coming together as a team late down the stretch of the season,” said junior guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. “We just need to keep this momentum going into next week.”

UCLA will have another chance to reach the mountain top come NCAA Tournament time, with the bracket being decided Sunday.