After Tounde Yessoufou elected to commit to St. John’s late last month, the UCLA Bruins are running out of options for impact players to bring into the program following two-straight Round of 32 NCAA Tournament exits for Mick Cronin’s team.
The Bruins were projected to be a top college basketball team last year but under-performed throughout the season. Now UCLA will be without Donovan Dent and Tyler Bilodeau for the 2026-2027 season but haven’t properly replaced their two star seniors.
ESPN released an early Top-25 ranking and writer Jeff Borzello doesn’t have the Bruins making the cut. Borzello lists UCLA as a part of the “Next five” teams but after a quiet offseason, expectations are subdued in Westwood.
It’s not as if Borzello was afraid of Big Ten Conference teams either, with five Big Ten teams included in the Top-25. The defending champion Michigan Wolverines lead the way in the Big Ten at No. 3, with No. 4 Illinois, No. 8 Michigan State, No. 12 USC and No. 22 Nebraska following the Wolverines in the ranking.
It is a bit strange to see the USC Trojans listed ahead of UCLA in men’s basketball rankings but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. The Trojans have invested heavily into their roster and the Bruins have proven to be less willing to dig deep into their NIL pockets to bring in top-end talent. USC head coach Eric Musselman has yet to win an NCAA Tournament game with the Trojans but he’s been able to land top recruits, which will eventually lead to success for Musselman and the program.
This offseason felt like it was going to be a big one for Cronin and the program but through the beginning of June, it has remained rather subdued.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: ESPN leaves the UCLA Bruins off of their early Top-25 rankings
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire | USA TODAY Network
