We’re still a ways out from UCLA basketball this fall, but CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein is high on Mick Cronin’s team. Rothstein put the Bruins as the No. 6 team in the country in the most recent edition of his offseason Rothstein 45 rankings.
UCLA was the third-highest ranked Big Ten team, behind No. 1 Purdue and No. 5 Michigan. Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan State, Illinois and Wisconsin. Rothstein predicted a starting lineup of G Donovan Dent, G Skyy Clark, F Eric Dailey, F Tyler Bilodeau and C Xavier Booker while Rothstein predicted a bench rotation of Eric Freeny, Brandon Williams, Jamar Brown, Trent Perry, Steven Jamerson.
The Bruins were bounced in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by Tennessee this past season and finished fifth in the Big Ten, four games below first place Michigan State.
UCLA’s roster only lost Kobe Johnson, Lazar Stefanovic and Aday Mara while they were able to bring in Donovan Dent (New Mexico), Jamar Brown (UMKC), Xavier Booker (Michigan State) and Steven Jamerson (San Diego) to join Mick Cronin’s team.
It will be interesting to see how their transfer portal additions materialize at Pauley Pavilion, with their experienced additions significantly raising the floor for the 2025-2026 season. Even with the excitement, there’s no guarantee that the new faces will result in the Bruins’ finding an offensive identity and climbing the Big Ten ranks.
With the exception of the 2023-2024 season, Cronin has always had the Bruins above .500 and with as much talent in Westwood this season, there’s no signs of that changing.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: UCLA men’s basketball ranked No. 6 in Rothstein 45 offseason rankings
Reporting by Dylan McNeill, UCLA Wire / UCLA Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
