REPORT: Analyst Sees Bruins As A 'Force' In Big Ten

The UCLA Bruins have had some heads turn their way after an impressive upset win over No. 12 Oregon last Sunday afternoon. One college basketball insider is very high on the Bruins coming out of the Big Ten as champions.

Nov 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts during a game against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The No. 24 UCLA Bruins are drawing national attention as a team that has as good of a chance as any to take home the Big Ten regular season crown after what they put on display Sunday afternoon against No. 12 Oregon in an upset road victory. One reporter thinks they are extremely dangerous.

CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein joined Ben Stevens on FanDuel Sportsbook's podcast, "The Early Line," and discussed who has the early upper hand to take home the regular season title in the Big Ten.

Rothstein was asked who he felt had the best chance to upend the Purdue Boilermakers, who have won the regular season the past two years in a row.

"I think a couple of days ago, you'd have to say Dana Altman's Oregon Ducks, but I got to tell you, the performance that UCLA had on Sunday in Eugene was really impressive," Rothstein said. "I'm not saying obviously that UCLA was flawless down the stretch, because it wasn't. UCLA, for 37 minutes, was clearly the better team than Oregon, and in the last two or three minutes, there was a lot of miscues that Mick Cronin's team will need to rectify. But UCLA is markedly better than the team, the first week of the season that went to Las Vegas and lost to New Mexico. I see the Bruins resurging, I see unparalleled depth in the Big Ten, and I see a team that looks to be a force in that league. UCLA is a unit right now that doesn't have a Jaime Jaquez, that doesn't have a Johnny Juzang, but the whole looks greater than the sum of its parts in Westwood."

🗣️ "I see UCLA resurging. I see a team that looks to be a FORCE in the Big Ten."

The Bruins are already 2-0 in conference play, and @JonRothstein has their stock rising 🚀@SportsGrid | #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/CJb1ncIxV8

— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) December 10, 2024

The Bruins did allow a 10-2 run in the final few minutes of the game which forced junior guard Dylan Andrews to hit a near buzzer-beater three-point bank shot while trailing by one point in the final seconds. Nonetheless, they came out with the upset win and moved to 2-0 in conference play.

Rothstein has a good eye for the top teams in college basketball and his endorsement for Cronin's group is a big one as the Big Ten season starts in full force in early January. The Bruins are one of the top favorites to win the conference title in their very first season within it.

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