Shabazz Muhammad to UCLA: Bruins Are Pac-12 Favorite After Landing Elite Recruit

Shabazz Muhammad changed the entire landscape of college basketball by deciding to play for UCLA. Instead of choosing defending champion Kentucky or ACC powerhouse Duke, the dynamic recruit joined the Bruins and immediately makes them Pac-12 favorites.

UCLA finished in the middle of the pack with a 11-7 conference record, but the Bruins have plenty of talented pieces and Muhammad will should complete the puzzle. He'll be joined by fellow elite prospect Kyle Anderson to help UCLA turn things around.

Muhammad has all the tools to become the next big college star, similar to the role Anthony Davis played at Kentucky during the team's title run. The only difference is their style of game. Davis was a dominant post player while Muhammad is more of an all-around threat.

The ability to create offense for himself or teammates will be his biggest asset at the college level. Teams have a tendency to fall into offensive slumps because no single player wants to step up as “the man” on offense.

That won't be a problem for UCLA next season.

Muhammad can drive into the lane for easy buckets or step out to knock down jumpers. If neither of those options are available once teams inevitably begin to double-team him, he's more than capable of finding open teammates for clean looks.

He still has room for improvement on the defensive end, but he's so athletic that he'll be able to make enough plays to become a useful contributor in that aspect as well. All told, it's no surprise Rivals ranked him the nation's top recruit.

To go along with Muhammad and Anderson, a 6'8'' high school star who will likely play a lot of point guard despite his size, the Bruins will also return several key contributors.

The Wear brothers, Travis and David, should pair with Josh Smith to give UCLA a solid post presence as long as the latter doesn't decide to declare for the draft. Since the offensive burden should be raised off their shoulders by the freshmen, they should thrive as secondary scoring threats.

Tyler Lamb was one of the team's best outside-shooting options and provides the Bruins even more depth in the backcourt. Considering there weren't any overpowering teams in the conference, UCLA has a chance to rise to the top quickly.

College basketball continues to shift away from teams with a lot of upperclassmen and more toward freshmen who are able to make an instant impact. The Bruins landed two of them, including the most coveted player in the nation.

That sets them up for a Pac-12 title in 2013, which should get the storied program back on track after hitting a rough patch in recent seasons.