UCLA Men's Basketball: ESPN Loves Upside Of This Year's Bruins

No one -- not even head coach Mick Cronin -- really knows what to expect with this year's UCLA Bruins team.

The turnover is massive, as the likes of Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jaylen Clark, and Amari Bailey are all now in the NBA. Stalwart point guard Tyger Campbell is playing in France, and David Singleton also graduated from the program. That's a ton of production and experience to replace. Adem Bona is the only returning starter, and the three other returning players on the roster (Dylan Andrews, Kenny Nwuba, and Will McClendon) aren't very seasoned.

A whopping eight new players (seven freshmen, one transfer) are now joining what is essentially an entirely new team. While losing three NBA players and two key contributors is no walk in the park, some are projecting this to be the most talented team Cronin has had during his tenure in Westwood.

Jeff Borzello of ESPN recently released his Way-Too-Early NCAA Top 25 list. UCLA was not on it. However, the team was still a major topic of discussion. Talking about the Bruins, Borzello said, "UCLA is the new preseason mystery team."

"It's strange to not see the Bruins as a consensus top-25 team, given what they've done under Mick Cronin since late in the 2020-21 season," Borzello wrote. "There was the Final Four run, followed by a 4-seed and Sweet 16 appearances in 2022, followed by a Pac-12 title, 2-seed and Sweet 16 appearance last season."

Borzello discussed the additions to the roster, specifically mentioning Utah transfer Lazar Stefanovic and the host of international recruits joining the team. He also asked some pertinent questions:

"There is plenty of talent on this roster," Borzello added. "Bona, Mara and Buyuktuncel could all be in the NBA 12 months from now. Andrews looks to be a capable point guard, and Stefanovic was a double-figure scorer in the Pac-12. But are the role players ready to take a step forward? How big of an impact will the incoming freshmen make? How quickly can the international players adapt?"

Time will tell as to whether Cronin can take this talented albeit young group of players and transform them into a title contender. Considering Cronin's strong track record of player development, this might be a team no one wants to play once March rolls around.

At the very least, the baby Bruins will be tested in a ridiculously strong Maui Invitational field -- as well as in non-conference games versus Maryland, at Villanova, and versus Ohio State in a neutral site setting.