NCAA Basketball: Biggest question for 2022-23 power conference favorites
Pac 12: Mick Cronin’s squad brings back one of the most reliable PG’s in the country, a potential All-American, and adds two 5-star freshmen. But there’s only one, unproven option at the center position.
Anchoring what should be another successful season for the Bruins are two seniors in Tyger Campbell and Jaime Jaquez Jr. Campbell averaged 11.9 points, 4.3 assists, and a steal per game last season as a first-team All-Pac 12 member. Jaquez was also a member of that first team averaging 13.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 steals. He was also a member of the Pac-12’s all-defensive team. He’s an All-American candidate heading into the season. Those two players will be rock solid and very important after the departures of Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard.
And then there are the freshmen.
On the perimeter is Amari Bailey, a 6’5 wing who is going to be everything UCLA fans wanted Peyton Watson to be but just wasn’t. His ability to get to the rim with his size, strength, and athleticism will translate immediately as he’s cradled in the safety of two seasoned college veterans on the perimeter. The Sierra Canyon product should contribute early and often in the starting lineup.
You know who’s also awesome? Adem Bona. The other top 20 freshmen that will start at the five for Mick Cronin’s squad. There are a lot of things to really like about Bona. The rest of this section isn’t because there’s reason to believe Bona won’t be good for Cronin early. The 6’10, 235-pound big man enters the sport with a high motor and a body that doesn’t have you wishing he’d put on 20 pounds.
It’s just a lot to put on the freshman. The Bruins’ interior presence begins and ends with this guy. The only other options on the roster are redshirt senior Kenneth Nwuba and redshirt freshman Mac Etienne. Nwuba has been at UCLA for four years and has never averaged more than 1.2 points per game or 6.4 minutes. Etienne averaged 2.6 points per game two seasons ago in 11.2 minutes per contest. He missed last season with a torn ACL.
Both of those players are respectable college big men. Etienne should provide some offense and the hope is Nwuba can have a bigger impact this season than in any other. But it doesn’t take much digging for it to be clear that Bona is going to be the most important player on this Bruins team. Originally, the title of this article was going to be “make or break” questions for each conference favorite. For the most part, that might be a slight overreaction, but it might really be the case for Cronin’s squad this season.
The Bruins were one of the better defenses in the country last season at 16th in defensive efficiency. Jaquez was the go-to perimeter defender and Myles Johnson manned the middle. He was 14th in offensive rebounding percentage and 52nd in block percentage. On the offensive end, he was efficient in a limited role.
The Bruins are going to be the favorite in the Pac-12 and a preseason top-15 team. The veteran foundation of Campbell and Jaquez raises the floor considerably. Bailey and company on the perimeter will always have those two guys to lean on. The scariest thing in college basketball is elite talent having veteran guys to lean on in the sport’s biggest moments. Bona is not going to have that guy to lean on, but he’s the guy most responsible for the ceiling of UCLA this season. His development is crucial.