Big Ten Basketball: Purdue, Ohio State, Wisconsin rise in latest power rankings

11. UCLA (4-1)

Recent history has been kind to the Bruins, though last year was another story. Mick Cronin led this program to a Final Four in 2021 before a pair of Sweet Sixteen runs. Much of the talent from that team was gone and last year was a struggle, with new and younger talent failing to reach .500 in their final year in the Pac-12. Despite being new members in the Big Ten, UCLA has realistic expectations to compete in this league with the talent they’ve assembled this time around.

Unfortunately, a loss to New Mexico in the opening week ruined their early momentum and knocked them out of the national rankings. It was the first of a pair of games where this new Bruins offense really struggled. Fortunately, their defense has saved them a few times, giving up 50 points or less in 3 of those 4 wins. When the long-range shooting comes together, UCLA may have something here.

New forward Tyler Bilodeau is the leading scorer and rebounder out of the gate, while underclassman like Eric Dailey and Sebastian Mack are also playing starring roles. This Bruins team still has youth and inexperience and it’ll still take time for all the kinks to be worked out on both offense and defense. The potential at UCLA is a bit higher than some of the other teams in this tier, but they have to show it on the court in the coming weeks.