Editor’s note: John Fanta is counting down his top 15 college basketball teams leading up to the start of the 2022-23 season. Checking in at No. 6 is UCLA.
UCLA basketball is here to stay on the national map. The job that Mick Cronin has done in just three years in Westwood can’t be overstated.
In 2018-19, UCLA finished 17-16 after head coach Steve Alford was fired in the middle of the season. The Bruins, representing a proud brand in college hoops history, were irrelevant. Enter Cronin from Cincinnati, and his impact immediately put the program back on track to the top of the Pac-12 and the country.
In three seasons under Cronin, the Bruins have gone 68-30 overall and 40-17 in conference games. Momentum really took hold in March 2021 with a wild run to the Final Four, followed up last season with a second consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16.
Jaime Jaquez Jr. lifts UCLA over rival USC
UCLA defeated rival USC in last season’s Pac-12 Tournament, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. leading the way.
There are no signs of slowing down. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Tyger Campbell make up one of the nation’s most experienced and talented duos, and Jaquez is primed to be an All-American candidate. Package them together with returning guards David Singleton and Jaylen Clark, and there is no shortage of experience on this team. There are more reasons to love the Bruins’ potential than just the returning talent, though.
UCLA ushers in the No. 13 recruiting class in the nation, according to 247 Sports, headlined by five-star freshmen Amari Bailey and Adem Bona. Bailey, the ninth-ranked recruit in the country, is a 6-foot-5 combo guard out of Sierra Canyon High School, while Bona, ranked No. 16 in the nation, is a 6-foot-9 center out of Prolific Prep in Napa. The way things have trended, it’s expected that both will start for the Bruins. The blend of winning experience with such highly-touted, potential one-and-done newcomers makes UCLA not just one of the most talented teams in college basketball, but potentially one of the most fun teams to watch.
While Johnny Juzang and Jules Bernard are gone, there’s still every reason to believe that the Bruins can be the front-runner in the Pac-12 and a major factor in March. UCLA has talent, but also has a leader in Cronin who prides himself on leading teams that are efficient. Last season, the Bruins were ranked in the top 16 in both KenPom adjusted offensive and defensive efficiency, one of only four teams in the country that can say that.
Here’s a deeper dive on the No. 6 team in our countdown.
Who’s back for the Bruins?
Let’s start with Jaquez, who was good enough to test the NBA Draft waters at minimum, but did not do so and instead elected to run it back with UCLA for his senior year. The 6-foot-7 California kid has been a dream for Cronin to coach, and the Bruins’ leader has frequently made it known just how much Jaquez has meant to the program’s return to national prominence.
Even through ankle injuries last season, Jaquez still rose to the occasion for the Bruins with 13.9 points, 5.7 boards and 2.3 assists per game, while shooting 47% from the field. Beyond the numbers, Jaquez just makes winning plays. A two-time All-Pac 12 Defensive Team selection, he utilizes his length to be a consistent stopper on that end of the floor. There’s just a competitive edge that is unleashed when Jaquez is on the floor, and the Bruins are better because of it. The biggest key for him? Getting his perimeter game rolling again. In 2020-21, Jaquez shot 39% from beyond the arc. Injuries had to play a role in his drop below 28% last season, but the dynamic wing should find a resurgence in that category again. When he’s healthy, he can be one of the best five to seven players in college basketball.
As much as Jaquez will be a centerpiece for the Bruins, it’s very reassuring for this team to head into the season knowing that they’ve got their point guard back. At third in the Pac-12 last season with 4.3 assists per game, Campbell embodies toughness at the one spot and has averaged more than 30 minutes per game in each of his three years with the Bruins. A two-time all-conference first-team selection, Campbell averaged 11.9 points per game last season on 44% from the field and 41% from downtown. He put on a show in the NCAA Tournament last March, going for 15.6 points and 5.0 dishes per game in the three contests. Cronin certainly tasks his point guard with a lot, but Campbell has shown throughout his career that he’s more than capable of handling it.
Beyond those two, Clark and Singleton will be key for the Bruins, and it’s expected that one of them will start. Clark’s ability to defend at 6-foot-5 makes him a nice fit in Cronin’s system, but it’s the offensive game that UCLA will want him to improve in Year 3. He shot just 26% from beyond the arc last season. Conversely, super senior Singleton shot 45% from deep but only averaged 4.8 points per game. Both players will be counted on to take a step forward.
Beyond this core, the Bruins have a pair of rotation players back from ACL injuries — former four-star recruit and guard Will McClendon, as well as 6-foot-10 forward Mac Etienne, who averaged 11.4 minutes per game in the 2020-21 campaign.
Another reserve who will get some run off the bench is 6-foot-10 redshirt senior Kenneth Nwuba, who averaged 6.5 minutes per game last season. With Bona starring in the frontcourt, as much as the five-star prospect is the centerpiece, Cronin does have a couple of guys who have at least experienced some run that can come in for bits and pieces and play on the interior.
Who’s new for UCLA?
All signs point to Bailey hearing his name called in Brooklyn at the NBA Draft next June, but this season, he will be showcasing his skills for the Bruins. Appearing on the Jerry West Award watch list on Tuesday, an honor given to the nation’s best shooting guard, Bailey is someone who will step right in and help take some pressure off Campbell in initiating UCLA’s offense.
The 6-foot-5 Bailey is such a talent at just 18 years old, with a combination of floor vision and size that make him an intriguing prospect. In his junior year of high school, Bailey had three triple-doubles. There’s no question that he’s going to make Campbell and Jaquez even better, and if Bailey is able to show that he can make perimeter shots consistently, the draft lottery will end up being a sure thing for him. The fact that a player with his talent to create shots for others can come into UCLA with the returning talent the Bruins have is the biggest reason this is a top-10 team in college basketball entering the season.
The other top prospect, Bona, is going to be so interesting to watch because he will be tasked with leading the way on the interior, or so that’s the expectation. It’s always tougher for a highly-touted freshman big man to live up to the hype, but Cronin has complete confidence, and Bona showed what he’s capable of this summer at the FIBA U20 European Championship. Suiting up for Turkey, the 6-foot-10 superstar averaged 17.0 points, 10.9 boards and 2.4 blocks per game. His ability to protect the rim and produce defensively was known, but it’s his skill set to get above the rim and produce offensively that keeps coming along as the season inches closer. The Bruins will need him on the floor to reach their ceiling, as the frontcourt lacks firepower around the highly-touted, likely one-and-done talent.
The other top-50 recruit that the Bruins brought in is point guard Dylan Andrews, who will be expected to come off the bench behind Campbell. With great speed and a knack for defense, Andrews could very well stick around for a couple of seasons and take the torch from Campbell.
The key questions to answer for the Bruins …
Will Jaquez fully take on the responsibilities as the go-to guy for UCLA and live up to high expectations? All signs point to that being the case, as with Juzang gone, it will be the Jaquez show in crunch-time situations.
It will also be interesting to see how the Bruins function in the backcourt and how Bailey and Campbell share the duties of ball-handling and shot-creating. It’s a good problem to have for Cronin and his staff. Will Bailey’s jumper prove to be reliable?
The biggest question is simple: Can Bona handle everything happening in the frontcourt? It’s certainly a lot, but Cronin has a ton of faith in the freshman phenom who chose the Bruins over Kentucky. If the 6-foot-11 McDonald’s All-American delivers on expectations, UCLA could be in the Final Four come April.
The final question is depth. Clark and Singleton will be counted on to take on an increased load, and some rotational frontcourt pieces assisting Bona are a factor to monitor this season.
Schedule highlights
The Bruins hit Vegas for a great multi-team showcase at the Continental Tire Main Event, where they will meet Illinois and either Baylor or Virginia. That’s back-to-back great games regardless of the opener result. A Dec. 14 trip to Maryland, a game that will air on FS1, is followed by a trip to Madison Square Garden to meet Kentucky on Dec. 17.
UCLA opens Pac-12 play at Stanford on Dec. 1 before hosting a conference title threat in Oregon on Dec. 4. A national telecast on FOX comes Jan. 14 when UCLA hosts Colorado. A big one comes Jan. 21 when the Bruins travel to Arizona, while the Wildcats will visit UCLA on the final Saturday of the regular season, March 4. That game could have regular season title implications, with the Bruins and Wildcats presumed to be at the top of the league entering the season.
Top 15 countdown:
John Fanta is a national college basketball broadcaster and writer for FOX Sports. He covers the sport in a variety of capacities, from calling games on FS1 to serving as lead host on the BIG EAST Digital Network to providing commentary on The Field of 68 Media Network. Follow him on Twitter @John_Fanta.
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