LOS ANGELES — A slew of questions will need answering as the UCLA Bruins enter the 2024-25 season. Ambiguity surrounds the rotation as the Bruins added nine new players to help them adapt to the challenges they’ll face in their first season in the Big Ten.
How will UCLA handle the schedule shift that comes with playing in the Big Ten?
Head coach Mick Cronin’s worried about the accumulation of travel over the course of the season. But his biggest concern, he said, with Bruins moving from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten is the additional day student-athletes will spend away from school, away from home, because of how the schedule is laid out.
In the Pac-12, games were separated by one day, whereas in the Big Ten, games are two or three days apart.
“The longer you have these guys away from home,” Cronin said, “they tend to lose focus. They tend to drift a little bit.”
The backend of those road trips could be sloppy for the Bruins as they acclimate to a new schedule.
Will the depth cause players to struggle with role definition?
Depth has been the buzzword of the preseason and Cronin seems fed up with it.
“You keep assuming we got all these guys,” he said. “I’m trying to find five that can play the way we need them to play to win.”
First of all, redshirts will be taken. But, expecting a 10-plus-man rotation to equate to winning is unrealistic. Thing is, the Bruins have 10-plus that can earn playing time, meaning that individuals’ playing time will fluctuate. With that, players may struggle to understand their role on a game-to-game basis and defined roles are essential to success in basketball.
For now, the buzzword that’s been coupled with depth is sacrifice.
“Everybody’s not going to be a 20-point scorer, not everybody’s going to be a 10-plus rebounder,” USC transfer Kobe Johnson said. “But, you know, you gotta find what you do best for this team, and you gotta do it well.”
Essentially, Johnson is saying, find your role and execute it. That’s easier said than done when the allocation of minutes is unpredictable.
When will we get an understanding of the Bruins’ best offensive and defensive lineups?
Cronin said he has an opinion of UCLA’s premier lineup for offense and defense. When asked about specifics regarding personnel in those distinct scenarios, he, expectedly, didn’t share.
He’s praised Johnson’s defensive instincts and complemented Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau’s three-level scoring ability.
Other than that, projecting how those respective groups will round out is complete speculation. Especially because Cronin will continue to tinker throughout UCLA’s upcoming slate of nonconference home games.
Related Articles
UCLA basketball looks to bolster its roster in the Big Ten era
USC can’t wear Washington down in disappointing 26-21 loss
USC-Washington notebook: Kyle Ford starts over Ja’Kobi Lane at WR
UCLA football staves off Nebraska for 2nd Big Ten win
USC women’s basketball: Top questions for the 2024-25 season
The first glimpse of specificity regarding offensive and defensive lineups may not come until the Bruins game at Oregon on Dec. 8. The Ducks are a solid team that the Bruins have experience matching up with from their bouts in the Pac-12.
That’s as good a time as any for a tune-up — and rotation cutdown — as No. 10 Arizona, No. 9 North Carolina and No. 6 Gonzaga make up three of the four games following that one against the Ducks.
The No. 22 Bruins open their season hosting Rider at Pauley Pavilion on Monday at 7:30 p.m.