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UCLA looks to bounce back after grueling 2023-24 campaign

The 2023-24 campaign was a series of nightmares for UCLA fans, players, and especially head coach Mick Cronin. A 16-17 final record including a 6-10 start to the season with the year’s climax a 46-point road loss to Utah is something no one involved wants to remember. The Bruins will get a fresh slate in 2024-25, joining the Big Ten this summer and adding eight new players to the roster.

Mick Cronin had more than his fair share of outbursts and bad moments in 2023-24, and there may be no single person more ready for the start of next season than him. UCLA’s final KenPom rank of 98 last season was Cronin’s worst as head coach since 2007-08, his second year at Cincinnati.

Three double-digit scorers headline the Bruins’ returners for 2024-25, including last year’s leading scorer, Dylan Andrews (13 ppg, 4 apg). Sebastian Mack (12 ppg, 4 rpg) is among the returners as well, showing some great flashes throughout his freshman campaign. Lazar Stefanovic (12 ppg, 6 rpg) rounds out the key returners, an experienced wing with great shooting ability who transferred in from Utah last offseason.

After taking a heavy international approach in his search for roster additions last season, Mick Cronin has gone to the mainstream wave this offseason, diving into the transfer portal to add six new players. Kobe Johnson (11 ppg, 5 rpg) is the biggest name of the class, coming over from rival USC. The backcourt’s depth will be bolstered by the additions of Louisville transfer Skyy Clark (13 ppg, 3 apg) and LMU transfer Dominick Harris (14 ppg, 3 rpg).

Last season, outside of the now NBA-bound Adem Bona, the UCLA frontcourt was very young and inexperienced. Cronin aimed to fix that this season, with the other three transfers in this class being big men. Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau (14 ppg, 6 rpg) enters the program after a strong sophomore season, having gone portaling hoping to stay at the Power Five level. Oklahoma State transfer Eric Dailey Jr. (9 ppg, 5 rpg) could be a sneaky good addition, as he still has three years left of eligibility. My favorite transfer in this Bruins’ class though is South Dakota State transfer William Kyle III (13 ppg, 7 rpg). Kyle was dominant in the paint and on the glass in the Summit League this season as a sophomore, including a 15-point, 11-rebound performance in the conference’s championship game.

Heading into 2024-25, I don’t think there’s any way that this Bruins squad doesn’t take a giant leap. Moving into the Big Ten could cause some problems, but with the conference as wide open as it is near the top, UCLA has a realistic chance to be crowned regular season champions in the conference. Mick Cronin can be one of the best coaches in the conference, and most of last year’s struggles must be put towards the roster construction and not inept sideline coaching (those random media outbursts probably didn’t help though). Cronin should have a good team this year and won’t need to go psycho in the press conferences this time around.

With all of this in mind, be on the lookout for big years from Sebastian Mack, Kobe Johnson, and William Kyle III. One of which now has a full year of college experience under his belt, the other who has a fresh bit of scenery following his transfer, and the third who now gets his chance to shine at the high major level. I have the Bruins 20th currently in my preseason top 25 rankings, good enough for third in the Big Ten behind Indiana and Purdue.

Other Things to Note:

• Boston College transfer Armani Mighty (1 ppg, 1 rpg) commits to Central Michigan