Fresh off a third consecutive trip to the Final Four—yet still without a title—under Ben Howland, the UCLA Bruins open the 2008-09 season hoping for another run deep into the tournament.

Led by the guidance of Howland, considered by some to be the nation's premier coach, and a star-studded recruiting class, the Bruins and their fans believe that this may finally be the year. But despite a world of talent, the Bruins have some significant obstacles to overcome in order to make a title run.

The fact is that the team lost a ton of talent. First and foremost are the losses of top five NBA Draft picks Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love. In addition, swingman and glue guy Luc Richard Mbah a Moute is now on the Milwaukee Bucks, and fan favorite and center Lorenzo Mata-Real graduated.

That's four of the top six players on last year's team, plus a ton of experience that needs replacing. The recruiting class was the top-ranked in the nation, but all the talent in the world won't make up for maturity and experience.

Here is a position-by-position look at the 08-09 Bruins.

Point Guard

Darren Collison provided a huge lift to UCLA's chances by putting off the NBA Draft to return for his senior season.

Darren is possibly the quickest player in the country when healthy, and his maturity and presence as the leader on and off the court will be a huge help to this otherwise young team. He is unstoppable off the dribble, his shot is reliable beyond the three-point line—even if it is a bit funny-looking—and he can lock up almost anyone on D.

Collison has reached the Final Four in all three of his seasons in Westwood without tasting that ultimate success. It's safe to say that, along with Tyler Hansbrough of North Carolina, Collison is probably the hungriest player in the country to win a title. He's a preseason First Team All-American and without question the leader of this team.

Shooting Guard

As if being the No. 1 overall high school player in the country wasn't enough pressure, freshman Jrue Holiday has the task of making people forget about Russell Westbrook. While Westbrook didn't put up great stats, his defensive intensity and freakish athleticism made him a fan favorite—and a top four pick. But Holiday has the moxie to do it.

He's a silky smooth combo guard with great athleticism (not on Westbrook's level, but still above average). He can score in almost any way imaginable. He can get to the hole on anyone, he has a deadly outside shot, and he crashes the offensive glass hard. In addition, Collison called him the most mature freshman he's ever seen.

Holiday should be able to shoulder the pressure of replacing Westbrook by not forcing anything and letting the game come to him. Instead of trying to score 20 a game, he'll be able to help the team in every way imaginable. Just look at his line in UCLA's opener: 12 points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and six steals. That's production.

But beware: Holiday is perfectly capable of dropping 30 on anyone if they give him the chance.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?