UCLA Bruins Basketball Top of the Pac-12 and Possibly NCAA?

The UCLA Bruins have recently created buzz by snagging two of the top top players in the ESPN Top 100, Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson.  With the recent addition of the forwards, the Bruins will be quite the team to watch this season. 

The Pac-12 struggled as a whole last year, but no team experienced more conflict than UCLA.  From a massive drop in the polls due to early season woes to the dismissal of Reeves Nelson, the Bruins ended up with a 19-14 record overall (11-7 in conference play) to finish sixth in conference. 

Ben Howland hopes to return to the glory days of consecutive Final Four appearances, which included a National Championship Game appearance against Florida in 2006.  With the addition of two elite players, UCLA should be ready to rip and roar in the Pac-12.

Three players currently on the roster to help the incoming freshman are the Wear Twins and Joshua Smith.  David and Travis Wear stepped up to be big contributors last season, and are looking to take their game to the next level before entering the draft.  Smith, in the meantime, will continue being a force to reckon with in the post.  With Muhammad and Anderson leading the scoring force, UCLA has the perfect talent to march far in the NCAA Tournament.

Three games not to miss:

The Bruins’ schedule had recently been released and three games immediately pop up in the reader's mind:

• San Diego State University – 12/1
• Texas – 12/8 (in Reliant Stadium)
• Missouri – 12/22

This upcoming season will be an exciting season for the Bruins, especially with the additions of great freshmen such as Kyle Anderson and Shabazz Muhammad.  Look for the UCLA Bruins to step up their game and compete not only in the Pac-12, but in all of college basketball.