Back for Four: UCLA Bruins Basketball Preview

Coaching

Simply put, Ben Howland may be the best coach in America. He's certainly on the short list—and if he wins a title this year, it may push him to the top.

Howland gameplans as well as anyone, and he was able to instill a toughness not seen by UCLA teams in decades. He brought East Coast basketball to LA, and it has thrived. The players buy into Howland's system of defense first, and it pays off year after year.

Howland has also shown this year that he is willing to change his philosophies to match his personnel. He has always been a fan of a halfcourt, deliberate offense, but with the excess of guards and athletes on the wings, Howland has publicly said that the Bruins will run this year—and run often.

Making such a dramatic change is not common among coaches nowadays, and it helps Howland stand apart from many of his colleagues.

Overall, these Bruins are as talented as any of the three Final Four teams. The difference, and what could prove to be their undoing, is how young the team as a whole is. With four freshmen expected to play a significant role, the Bruins will need to mature quickly with a tough schedule right from the beginning.

Unlike previous years, a potential undefeated season and No. 1 seed may be unreasonable goals. But this is a team that will get better as the year goes on, and come tournament time, they could be every bit as good as UCLA teams of the past few years. With Collison so hungry for a title, this isn't a team I would bet against come tournament time.

Season Prediction

Pac-10 Champions, No. 2 seed, and a fourth consecutive Final Four before losing to North Carolina.

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