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UCLA

Amari Bailey weighs difficulty of sitting out with injury

On3-Social-Profile_GRAYby:On3 Staff Report•02/11/23
Amari Bailey, UCLA Bruins guard
UCLA guard Amari Bailey dribbles the ball up the floor in a game on Feb. 9, 2023. (Soobum Im / Getty Images)

While UCLA has churned through its schedule and won more often than not, that’s not to say it’s been smooth sailing all the way around. For one, an Amari Bailey injury sidelined one of the team’s stars for seven games.

Bailey is just now beginning to round into form again.

“It was definitely tough, just wanting to be there for my guys and be on the floor,” Bailey said. “I love this game, so any time you’re sidelined there are frustrations that come with it.”

Bailey sure looked comfortable on Thursday night when UCLA blew out Oregon State on the front half of a Thursday-Saturday swing.

He scored 24 points in the contest, going 10-of-16 from the floor and adding two rebounds, two steals, a block and an assist.

So the silver lining to the Amari Bailey injury, if there is one?

“It gave me a lot of time to just sit back and take in what’s going on and see where I can be productive on the floor,” Bailey said.

Amari Bailey injury to be tested on road trip

Dating back to the Final Four run during the 2021 Tournament, UCLA has been one of the best teams in the country. Much of that has been due to head coach Mick Cronin having one of the more experienced squads in the Pac-12, lead by point guard Tyger Campbell. And when you are considered a top team, you are able to win away from your home arena.

No matter what conference you are in, playing games on the road can be tough. Having somebody on your team such as Campbell can ease the challenge though. The point guard said by now, he knows what to expect when playing away from Pauley Pavilion as a seasoned vet.

“Every team is dangerous at home,” Campbell said. “It doesn’t matter who it is or who they have. Every team is ready to play at home in front of their home crowd, get a win. Going on the road for four years now, I am more prepared because I have played there before.

“I know what to expect with the players, the crowd, and the coach. It’s really just try to not take advantage of these games. They’re all really important.”

UCLA will complete this half of the road trip on Saturday night a date with Oregon that begins at 10 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.