BIG TEN TEAM PREVIEW #15 UCLA BRUINS

UCLA enjoyed a pretty successful season in its first year as a member of the Big Ten conference. They were a 7-seed in the NCAA tournament and won their first-round matchup against Utah State by 25 points before a second-round loss to Tennessee. UCLA finished the season with a 23-11 record, and its 13-7 conference record was tied for fourth in the Big Ten. The Bruins enter this season returning several key players from last year's squad, and they also added some high-end transfers.

Projected Lineup:

G Donovan Dent (New Mexico transfer)

G Skyy Clark

F Eric Dailey Jr.

F Tyler Bilodeau

C Xavier Booker (Michigan State transfer)

Head coach Mick Cronin landed one of the top transfers available to lead his backcourt next season with 6-foot-2 New Mexico transfer Donovan Dent. He won the player of the year in the Mountain West conference last season, after he averaged 20.4 points and 6.4 assists per game. He also connected on 40.9% of his three-point attempts. Dent should be one of the top point guards in the country this year for the Bruins. 6-foot-3 Skyy Clark is the top returner in UCLA's backcourt. Clark started in all 34 games he played in last year for UCLA, and he averaged 8.5 points and 2.7 assists on 45.8% shooting. 6-foot-4 shooting guard Trent Perry is another returner for the Bruins. Perry was a big-time recruit in UCLA's 2024 recruiting class. He was ranked as the #35 player in the class by 247 Sports. Perry averaged 3.7 points and 1.7 rebounds during his freshman season. He should have a bigger role off the bench in his sophomore season. 6-foot-5 UMKC transfer Jamar Brown is another big addition to UCLA's backcourt. Brown had a phenomenal season last year at the mid-major level. He earned all-conference honors in the Summit League after he averaged 17 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman guard Eric Freeny should also contribute off the bench next season for the Bruins. Freeny was a four-star recruit and the #77 player in the 2024 class, but he redshirted last season.

UCLA's frontcourt is headlined by their top scorer from last season's team in 6-foot-9 power forward Tyler Bilodeau. He had a really nice season last year after transferring in from Oregon State. Bilodeau averaged 13.5 points and 4.6 rebounds, which earned him all-conference honors in the Big Ten. Bilodeau. UCLA's frontcourt will also include its second-leading scorer from last season, with 6-foot-8 forward Eric Dailey. Dailey started in all 33 games he played in last season, and he averaged 11.4 points and 4 rebounds per game. Bilodeau and Dailey can also both stretch the floor; they are both great shooters for their size. Bilodeau connected on 40% of his three-point attempts last year, and Dailey connected on 37.8% of his attempts. UCLA also went to the transfer portal to add to its frontcourt. 6-foot-11 Michigan State transfer Xavier Booker is a big addition. Booker is a former five-star recruit who spent his first two seasons of college at MSU. He's yet to really have a big role at the college level, though. Booker averaged 4.7 points and 2.2 rebounds per game off the bench for MSU last year.

UCLA feels like a team that shouldn't have any reason not to be good next year. They return three starters from last season in Clark, Dailey, and Bilodeau. Plus, they added one of the best guards in the country in Donovan Dent. If Xavier Booker can take a step forward next season, I think UCLA could be a Final Four contender.

Prediction: 3rd in Big Ten