Pac-10 Basketball: Will The West Be Best? Part 4

Part 4 of this series on Pac-10 basketball will focus on the two "U" schools. We'll be looking at UCLA and USC. Both schools are coming off great seasons. So what's ahead for the Bruins and Trojans?

University of California - Los Angeles

For the third year in a row, Coach Ben Howland led the UCLA Bruins to the Final Four. That's an amazing feat in these days of collegiate basketball. Truly amazing. What's even more amazing is for many Bruin fans, that's not enough. That's right! Getting to the Final Four isn't enough. If UCLA doesn't win it all, the season is a disappointment to the hard core followers of Bruin basketball.

Next season will be one of change for Coach Howland, at least in terms of personnel. Let's begin with who will be gone.

No surprise about the departure of Kevin Love to the NBA. Love doesn't have anything left to prove at the college level. It's not likely that he will be an impact player as a rookie at the professional level, but barring injury, Love has a bright future playing for money.

No surprise about the departure of Lorenzo Mata-Real. The big guy is out of NCAA eligibility! That'll do it. Mata-Real developed into one of the premier defensive centers in the nation. Those skills will be missed by Coach Howland who believes winning begins with shut-down defense.

Another key player trying to move on to the NBA, and who likely will, is Russell Westbrook. Westbrook was awesome this past season. He may not have been the darling of the media and some fans, but his play made the difference for UCLA in many of their close wins. He has all the athletic skills to be playing pro basketball for many years.

Many are expecting that Darren Collison will forgo his senior season to move on to the NBA. That isn't a done deal. In fact, another season in Westwood under the tutelage of Coach Howland would go a long way to developing him into a player who will catch on in the NBA.

Oh. There's one other departure pending. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute seems to have figured that since so many of his teammates are ready for the NBA, he is, too. Oh my! Please don't sign with an agent Luc Richard. Another year of seasoning in Westwood would make the NBA a real possibility. This year? Not so much.

So is the Bruin personnel cupboard bare for the coming season?

Are you kidding?

Coach Howland has more raw talent coming to UCLA. He has not one but two premier high school guards coming in. The top rated shooting guard in the nation, Jrue Holiday, will probably have Bruin fans quickly forgetting about Russell Westbrook. Holiday is winner. Period. Reports are that he's very coachable as well. The other top rated guard is Malcolm Lee who has the skills to run Coach Howland's offense. About the only downside of this kid is that there's little chance he will stay in Westwood very long.

That should be enough, right? Wrong. Jerime Anderson will have UCLA fans cheering. He's a very smooth player that can fill it up from anywhere on the floor. A natural point guard, Anderson is comfortable and capable at either guard position.

The other notable commit is Drew Gordon, a natural power forward. Gordon has the size and hops to be an impact player for UCLA. He's got a nose for the ball when it comes to grabbing boards.

In short, the Bruins are once again the elite team in the Pac-10 going into the season. Sure, they aren't going to have much of the talent back that took them to the Final Four this past season. Have no fear Bruin Nation. Your team is still the class of the conference.

Worst case scenario for the Bruins is that they plummet to a second place conference finish. But don't count on that...

University of Southern California

Coach Tim Floyd had a lot of athletic talent on his squad this past season. They made it to the NCAA Tourney, but not for long. The Trojans were dispatched quite easily by Kansas State. That was that.

Chances are pretty good that most of the team will be back for another season of Pac-10 basketball. There weren't any seniors on the roster and though there are many who would love to be playing in the NBA next season, only OJ Mayo will make that leap. Will Mayo be missed? The answer to that question follows.

Coach Floyd convinced super high school player Demar DeRozan to come to USC. Since the kid is from Compton, CA, that wasn't a real hard sell. DeRozan is a player with incredible athletic skills. The only thing to criticize about him is his weight. He could use a little more muscle on his frame, but will come in time. Chances are, he will be the most exciting freshman in the Pac-10 next season.

So Coach Floyd still won't have a natural center on the team next season, but that won't matter. As long as Taj Gibson and Devon Jefferson return, the Trojans will have a front line that will be the best in the west. And with Daniel Hackett running the offense, USC fans have plenty to look forward to next season.

If things fall their way, it's possible that USC might be able to steal the conference championship away from UCLA next year. They sure look like one of the top three teams, to be sure.

The final segment of this series will cover the end of the alphabet in the Pac-10, Washington and Washington State.