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UCLA Basketball: KenPom Rankings Have Bruins Sitting At Interesting Spot

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Jason Fray|
UCLA Basketball: KenPom Rankings Have Bruins Sitting At Interesting Spot
UCLA Basketball: KenPom Rankings Have Bruins Sitting At Interesting Spot

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Basketball guru Ken Pomeroy has long been a serious follow for basketball fans, pundits, and enthusiasts alike. 

Pomeroy has come up with his own predictive system predicated upon a number of factors. Heavily driven by analytics and strength of schedule, Pomeroy is able to rank all of the 363 D-1 basketball programs stemming from his own grouping of metrics. 

For those aiming to compare teams with common opponents or perhaps no commonality at all, "KenPom" rankings are virtual gold. With the 2023-24 college basketball season nearly upon us, Pomeroy decided to unveil his top 30:

As one can see, Pomeroy ranks your UCLA Bruins right outside of the Top 25 -- checking in at No. 26 nationally. These projections primarily are based on strength of schedule, offensive efficiency numbers, and defensive efficiency numbers. 

When building a solid resume for postseason play, these rankings are often used as a reference point. 

As it pertains to conference foes, Arizona (No. 6) and USC (No. 21) are the two Pac-12 squads ranking ahead of UCLA. The initial Pomeroy Ratings also truly illustrate how tough UCLA's non-conference slate is. 

The Bruins will square off against Marquette (No. 11 in KenPom ratings) to open The Maui Invitational. The winner will likely face No. 2 Kansas. Also in the field include Purdue (No. 1), Tennessee (No. 8), and Gonzaga (No. 5). 

Additionally, UCLA will play Maryland (No. 22) at home, and Villanova (No. 23) on the road. Suffice it to say, but there are plenty of opportunities for Mick Cronin's team to pick up some marquee victories prior to conference play beginning. 

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Jason Fray
JASON FRAY

Jason Fray is a proud native of Los Angeles. After graduating from UCLA in 2011, he's written for a number of publications -- including Bleacher Report, FOX Sports, Saturday Down South, and New Arena. In his downtime, he enjoys writing scripts, going to shows, weekly pub trivia with the boys, trying the best hole-in-the-wall food spots around town, and traveling (22 countries & counting). 

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