UCLA Basketball: Bruins Surprisingly Well-Regarded In Very Early 2024-25 Preseason Rankings
The 2023-24 UCLA Bruins men's basketball team entered the season with considerable fanfare. Head coach Mick Cronin had recruited two prospective first round draft picks in center Aday Mara and forward Berke Buyuktuncel, and they would be joined by a probable low-second round draft pick in returning sophomore big man Adem Bona. The club was also fielding plenty of four-star guard recruits and recent prospects.
Instead of building on its Sweet Sixteen berth with a generally veteran-laden roster in 2022-23, the team finished below .500 for the first time in Cronin's five-year tenure, at 16-17. Several players have already entered the NCAA's transfer portal, while sources inform Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online that Bona is expected to declare for the NBA draft soon, though no official announcement has been made.
Surprisingly given all this, the Bruins are expected to bounce back in a big way next year by a variety of outlets.
Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy is the most bullish on their prospects, rankings the Bruins as the No. 16-best club for next year.
Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith and Eddie Timanus of USA Today project UCLA as the 17th-best team, pointing to the Bruins' already-solid transfer portal acquisitions.
"Mick Cronin has already landed guard Skyy Clark (Louisville) and Kobe Johnson (Southern Cal) in the portal to go with a core group of four double-figure scorers led by Dylan Andrews and Adem Bona," the USA Today team writes. "UCLA will have to acclimate itself to the Big Ten schedule but look to be well-stocked for the challenge."
John Fanta of Fox Sports has ranked UCLA as his No. 19 team for 2024-25 in his very, very early preseason rankings. NCAA.com's Andy Katz considers the Bruins his No. 29 program for next year, noting that "the foundation has been set once again and Cronin returns star sophomore Dylan Andrews and will likely be active in the portal."
