The UCLA Bruins are coming into the 2024 NCAA Basketball season ranked as the 22nd-best team in college according to the Associated Press (AP) 25 Men’s College Basketball Poll.
This comes after the Bruins had their first losing record since the 2015-16 season. This meant UCLA didn’t qualify for the NCAA tournament, the first time this has happened in head coach Mick Cronin’s time with the program.
This comes after the UCLA Men’s Basketball program made three straight Sweet 16 appearances, including a Final Four appearance in 2021.
Now, UCLA is looking to return to their former glory with a much more experienced squad than they had last season, according to a report from the Associated Press.
This comes after six players left UCLA, including center Adem Bona, who was selected with the 41st overall pick in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft by the Philadelphia 76ers.
Two returning Bruins will likely have a major effect on the team. This includes guard Dylan Andrews, who averaged 12.9 points and 3.7 assists per game last season. However, he proved to be a breakout star in the last six games, averaging 21.2 points.
Then there’s sophomore guard Sebastian Mack, who was UCLA’s top offensive player early last year. In the end, he averaged 12.1 points and 3.6 rebounds per game.
A majority of the UCLA’s experienced players are coming in from the transfer portal, with four players that look like they could have an immediate impact.
The first is Kobe Johnson, who joins UCLA from rival USC. A two-time Pac-12 All-Defensive Team member, Johnson averaged 10.9 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.2 steals per game last season.
Sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. started 16 games last season for Oklahoma State, averaging 9.3 points, 4.8 total rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Junior guard Skyy Clark comes to UCLA from Louisville, where he averaged 13.2 points, 3.1 total rebounds, three assists, and one steal per game.
Another notable addition is senior guard Dominick Harris, who joins the Bruins after spending two seasons at Gonzaga and one at Loyola Marymount. Last year, Harris averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and one assist per game. Harris led the conference in three-point percentage, making 44.8 percent of his outside shots.
UCLA’s first game against the season will be against Rider on Nov. 4, who finished last season with a 15-17 overall record.
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