UCLA Basketball: 5 reasons why the Bruins will be better than USC in 2018-19

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NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 23: Jaylen Hands #4 of the UCLA Bruins reacts after scoring during the second half of the CBS Sports Classic against the Kentucky Wildcats at the Smoothie King Center on December 23, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

1) Returning talent

Yes, UCLA does lose their two most impactful players from last year’s squad in Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh, but there’s also plenty coming back to get excited about.

Jaylen Hands and Kris Wilkes both (smartly) opted to go back to school after testing NBA Draft waters this summer, joining Prince Ali, Alex Olesinki, and Chris Smith as rotation players that return. In total, despite those two losses, the Bruins still return 50 percent of their scoring.

Hands and Wilkes, in particular, seem poised to take major steps forward in their development. Hands showed flashes of being a deadly perimeter threat during his freshman campaign while Wilkes, who finished second on the team with 13.7 points per game, proved to be a nightmare mismatch for opponents. He is widely expected to emerge as the go-to option for this team and proved that he’s ready for that role.

On the flip side, USC lost three vital players in Chimezie Metu, Jordan McLaughlin, and Elijah Stewart. And, unlike UCLA, the Trojans don’t have players ready to step in and replace them. Expectations are high for Bennie Boatwright but it looks like he may be a one-man show.

Advantage: UCLA.

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