UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau to sit, but NCAA forecast is better

CHICAGO- UCLA will be without Tyler Bilodeau, its leading shooter and leading scorer, for Saturday’s Big Ten tournament semifinal against Purdue.

But the mild knee sprain Bilodeau suffered Friday night is not expected to carry over into next week’s NCAA tournament, according to a team spokesperson.

Bilodeau, who averaged 17.6 points on 51.8 percent shooting from the field, left Friday’s win over Michigan State late in the first half after hitting his knee under the basket. He lay on the pitch in pain for a few minutes before being helped to the locker room.

UCLA didn’t flinch without him, hanging on to beat Michigan State in one of its most impressive shooting performances of the season. The Bruins shot 56% from the field and made 13 three-pointers.

Whether that hot shooting can continue Saturday without one of its top shooters in the lineup could determine whether UCLA can advance to Sunday’s tournament final.