UCLA assistant men’s basketball coach Darren Savino opened Thursday’s practice working with the Bruins’ big men underneath one basket at the Mo Ostin Basketball Center.

Forward Tyler Bilodeau and centers Aday Mara and William Kyle III worked on their positioning to grab rebounds against the program’s student managers.

It was among the areas of emphasis for head coach Mick Cronin after UCLA continued to get knocked around and physically manhandled in recent Big Ten road losses at Maryland and Rutgers that extended the Bruins’ losing streak to four games.

As UCLA (11-6, 2-4 Big Ten) returns to Pauley Pavilion to face Iowa (12-5, 3-3 Big Ten) on Friday night at 6 p.m., Cronin said his players are still adjusting to their new league the hard way.

“I think the truth of it is that Big Ten basketball is different,” Cronin said before practice. “It’s a much more physical game. I also think the league is unbelievably rock solid.”

It will be the Bruins’ first home contest since Cronin was critical of his players and coaching staff after a 19-point loss to Michigan last Tuesday.