Bruins Basketball Needs a Bounce-Back Season

The UCLA Bruins had a fairly disappointing season a year ago. They are looking to change the narrative in their first season in the Big Ten.

Mar 14, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The UCLA Bruins enter their first season in the Big Ten and are hoping for a much better season than a year ago. Coach Mick Cronin is looking to lead his team to the top of the standings in the conference and once again become a national contender.

The Bruins had their worst season in Cronin's tenure with the program last season, finishing 16-17 with a 10-10 conference record in the final season in the Pac-12. Cronin is entering his sixth season at the helm of the Bruins, and last year was the only season he was unable to achieve a 20-win season.

The benefits of the transfer portal have paid dividends for the Bruins this season as they brought in six transfers this past offseason.

Three forwards and three guards were added through the portal this season, bringing more size to what was a guard-heavy team for Cronin over the past few seasons. Especially in the Big Ten, maintaining a strong paint presence is a necessity to thrive in this conference.

Three of those new players scored in double figures in the Bruins' exhibition win over Cal-State Los Angeles last week.

Oregon State transfer junior forward Tyler Bilodeau posted 24 points as the leading scorer. He averaged just above 14 points last season with the Beavers and this is a guy that will compete for conference awards and possibly national honors as well. He can score it from anywhere on the floor.

Former USC Trojan senior guard Kobe Johnson had 11 assists in the win last week and will likely be running the offense along with junior Skyy Clark who came over from Louisville, who had 17 points and was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc.

It will be a transfer-driven team this season as Cronin heavily recruited from within college basketball this past offseason.

Adding several players with years of collegiate basketball experience is only going to benefit this team. They enter one of the better conferences in the nation and will need to compete amongst the top teams to be in the conversation for a Big Ten title and a national tournament bid.

The Bruins missed out on March Madness last season after losing in the second round of the PAC-12 tournament to Oregon. A fresh slate this season in a new conference should give this group a rejuvenated feeling in hopes of getting back to 20 or more wins and becoming a nationally-ranked team.

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