College basketball insider Jon Rothstein dropped his newest Rothstein 45 on Monday, where he ranks the top programs based on where they’re sitting at this point in the offseason.
Even though it’s been a quiet offseason for Mick Cronin and the UCLA Bruins, Rothstein still shows some faith in the Bruins, slotting them in at No. 20 on his list. UCLA was ranked a bit higher last season after acquiring Donovan Dent and Xavier Booker but the team ended up under-performing for most of the season and going unranked for all of Big Ten Conference play.
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This year’s UCLA team might be a better fit for Cronin, who places a lot of emphasis on defense. The Bruins saw Dent graduate from the program but instead of replacing him with another offensive engine, Cronin filled in around the edges and brought in some international talent.
Rothstein projects a Trent Perry, Jaylen Petty, Eric Dailey, Filip Jovic and Xavier Booker starting lineup for the Bruins, with Eric Freeny, Azavier Robinson, Javonte Floyd, Joe Philon, Sergei Macura, Brandon Williams and Gunars Grinvalds rounding out the UCLA bench.
Where does Rothstein rank the Bruins amongst Big Ten opponents? Not super high, with UCLA being the fifth-highest ranked Big Ten school behind No. 3 Illinois, No. 4 Michigan, No. 6 Michigan State and No. 14 USC.
It’ll be an important season for Cronin and the Bruins. UCLA handed the head coach a contract extension back in the summer of 2025 which makes moving on from Cronin a steeper cost, but if UCLA falls off of the national radar again in the 2026-2027 season then the historic UCLA program might look at other options at head coach.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: College basketball insider Jon Rothstein ranks UCLA at No. 20
