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

By Brian Rauf

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 03: Holiday and Smith.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 03: Holiday and Smith. /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 18: Head Coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts during the second half of a game against the USC Trojans at Pauley Pavilion on February 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 18: Head Coach Steve Alford of the UCLA Bruins reacts during the second half of a game against the USC Trojans at Pauley Pavilion on February 18, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

4) Higher preseason ranking

Preseason rankings may not mean much in college basketball these days. After all, USC was ranked in the preseason top 10 last season only to miss out on the NCAA Tournament.

However, one thing preseason rankings are good for is identifying teams that have the rawest talent and the Bruins are one of two Pac-12 teams that find themselves ranked in most preseason polls along with Oregon – not USC.

Expectations are cautiously optimistic surrounding the Bruins for the reasons listed previously, and those reasons are reflected in preseason rankings. Here’s what CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish said about UCLA for the upcoming season:

"Steve Alford has secured consecutive top-five recruiting classes, which gives him the talent necessary to make the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in six years at UCLA. The star of the class is Moses Brown, a 7-foot center from New York. He’s one of five top-75 prospects enrolling at UCLA — where Kris Wilkes will be the Bruins’ leading returning scorer. He averaged 13.7 points and 4.9 rebounds last season."

With their combination of youth, experience, and talent, don’t be surprised to see the Bruins finish the season ranked higher than they are in the preseason.

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