With basketball season rapidly approaching, we’re going team-by-team in the Big Ten to assess where everyone stands and how things could shake out this year.
UCLA’s 2023-24 season was defined by transition in multiple ways. Obviously, the Bruins moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten this year, but they also had to move on from a successful group of departed players after the 2022-23 season. And there were plenty of bumps, as UCLA finished 16-17, Mick Cronin’s first losing record with the program. But those struggles may have paved the way nicely for the Bruins this season.
WHO’S GONE:
- Adem Bona (12.4 PPG) (went to NBA)
- Berke Büyüktuncel (4.5 PPG) (transfer — Nebraska)
- Will McClendon (4.1 PPG) (transfer — San Jose State)
- Jan Vide (1.9 PPG) (transfer — Loyola Marymount)
- Kenneth Nwuba (1.3 PPG) (exhausted his eligibility)
- Ilane Fibleuil (1.0 PPG) (joined French team)
- Logan Cremonesi
WHO’S BACK:
- Dylan Andrews, G (12.9 PPG)
- Sebastian Mack, G (12.1 PPG)
- Lazar Stefanovic, G (11.5 PPG)
- Aday Mara, C (3.5 PPG)
- Brandon Williams, G/F (3.1 PPG)
- Devin Williams, F (1.4 PPG)
WHO’S NEW:
Transfer portal
- Tyler Bilodeau, F (14.3 PPG at Oregon State)
- Dominick Harris, G (14.3 PPG at Loyola Marymount)
- Skyy Clark, G (13.2 PPG at Louisville)
- William Kyle III, F (13.1 PPG at South Dakota State)
- Kobe Johnson, G (10.9 PPG at USC)
- Eric Dailey Jr., G/F (9.3 PPG at Oklahoma State)
Freshmen (Rankings from 247Sports Composite)
- Trent Perry, G (four-star, No. 31)
- Eric Freeny, G (four-star, No. 126)
RETURNING MINUTES: 60.8 percent (per barttorvik.com)
Why it will work
UCLA compiled a pretty robust transfer portal class, ranked ninth in the country by 247Sports — within the Big Ten, only IU and Washington brought in higher-rated groups than the Bruins. Combined with bringing back three of its four top players from last season, UCLA has a good-looking roster with a lot of potential contributors. This looks like a team that will lean on the sum of its parts rather than individual stars, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Cronin’s Bruins teams were typically among the most efficient offensive teams in the country before last year, and they ranked among the top teams in the country in defensive efficiency for each of the last three years. Quietly, Cronin may rank among the top five coaches in the conference. The offseason additions appear to have pumped a lot more offensive potential into this roster — if that works out, and the defense remains strong, this could be one of the top teams in the Big Ten this season.
Why it won’t
It’s hard to know how difficult the extended travel will be for the Big Ten newcomers in basketball, and that’s certainly something to watch for this season. Additionally, UCLA played at one of the slowest tempos in the country last season — if that continues, its margin for error within games becomes lower, with fewer possessions to make up for those mistakes.
And while teams built in the “the whole is greater than some of the parts” mold can have a lot of positives, sometimes that style can lack the firepower and star power needed in big games. It’s unclear who UCLA’s go-to player would be in clutch situations and moments when it’ll need someone to step up.
Our take
Buy stock on UCLA. This looks like the strongest of the four new Big Ten teams, and one of the best teams in the entire conference. Cronin cut dead weight from the roster in the offseason and replaced those players with several more viable contributors, and most of the core of the team returns. It would be surprising if the Bruins finished outside the top half of the Big Ten standings, and if things break right, they could be good enough to win the conference title and make a deep run in March.
BIG TEN OUTLOOK: Contenders
PRIOR ROSTER ANALYSES:
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
