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

2) Better recruiting class

UCLA’s 2018 recruiting class finished No. 6 nationally in the 247sports Composite Rankings thanks to Alford landing five top-100 prospects, headlined by five-star center Moses Brown.

He and former Arizona pledge Shareef O’Neal, Shaq’s son, are two frontcourt players that may not start (more on that later) but will provide valuable pop off the bench.

Brown, a McDonald’s All-American, is very athletic but needs to add weight and strength to his 7-foot, 210-pound frame. O’Neal is more physically ready but, at this point in his game, is more of a perimeter stretch four because of his athleticism and shooting ability. It will be fun to see how Alford uses that versatility.

However, the most important freshmen may be four-star guards Jules Bernard, David Singleton, and Tyger Campbell.

Hands, Ali, and Wilkes are UCLA’s only returning perimeter players, and while the Bruins will likely play a lot of big lineups, backcourt depth is an issue they needed to address. They did by adding that trio of prospects and all three will be counted on to provide valuable minutes off the bench.

Meanwhile, USC is only expecting two recruits – five-star guard Kevin Porter and four-star guard Elijah Weaver – to be impact players right away. This is yet another area where the Bruins hold a clear advantage.