The Bruins are in the midst of becoming one of the more hyped teams going into next season in all of college basketball, whether it be from the players that they have recruited in the transfer portal, are bringing in through high school recruitment, or players they managed to keep in Westwood.
On top of all of the good things coming UCLA’s way, it also will be having a former player heading to the NBA soon in Tyler Bilodeau, who has been on draft boards for a while and is slowly climbing the charts.
Michigan State center Carson Cooper (15) and UCLA forward Tyler Bilodeau (34) battle for the rebound during the first half of Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
But what would statistical hype and new NBA players matter to the Bruins if their fanbase was not fully satisfied, like with football? With that question in mind, it is time to take a look at how UCLA’s dedicated fans are feeling now that it’s summer.
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How Fans Are Feeling Doubtful This Summer
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin and UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins shake hands after the game during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
The first conversation that has sadly been at the forefront of many fans’ minds who have not been looking deeply at the recruiting efforts and projected rankings of the Bruins has been to do an analysis of the Blue Blood schools in college basketball.
But more than just looking at what schools are iconic and deeply embedded in the sport, the main thing to draw from the conversations has been what schools do not belong on the list of Blue Bloods.
Unfortunately for the Bruins, they end up on this list often because of how little they have been able to accomplish in recent years, aside from their Final Four run that got ended by Gonzaga.
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However, the Bruins have the chance to dispel this train of thought in the upcoming season with their improved roster, and if they can truly do so, conversations will be a whole lot different come next offseason.
The Challenge That Fans Are Bringing
Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
The fans that are not found fully doubting the team are bringing forth challenges instead, most of which are either directed to the program as a whole or specifically to coach Mick Cronin, who will be on the hot seat if the season does not go as planned.
But UCLA could do a really good thing this season by actually embracing these challenges head-on and trying to meet the expectations, or even exceed them. By doing so, they would get more hype from their fans after this season, and also be able to bring in more new fans going forward.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as How Bruins Fans Feeling About Men’s Basketball This Summer.
