The decision by Chris Smith to return to the Bruins helps elevate them to the top of the PAC-12 preseason rankings. Smith was the PAC-12’s most improved player last year, averaging 13 and 6 as a 6’9 guard.
Mick Cronin and the Bruins will miss Prince Ali, no doubt, but having Smith back and adding Kentucky transfer Johnny Juzang and four-star shooting guard Jaylen Clark will help keep this roster highly competitive heading into the 2020-2021 season.
Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez will help anchor an extremely deep UCLA squad. While they are devoid of a true star player, coach Cronin has the ability to roll 10 or even 11 deep with this roster, and they can afford to basically play position-less basketball – making them a matchup nightmare in the PAC.
If Cody Riley and Jalen Hill can anchor things in the paint, this team has all the tools necessary to make a big run in the NCAA tournament after cruising through the PAC-12.
There’s no guarantee that will happen, especially not with the PAC-12 eating itself alive over the past few years, but this team has the best chance to still be playing basketball at the very end of March.