UCLA Basketball: Complete Roster, Season Preview for 2014-15 Bruins

After a successful first year at UCLA, head coach Steve Alford will have to rely on a lot of youth to keep the momentum into the 2014-15 season.

Between graduations and the NBA draft, the Bruins return just 33.7 percent of their scoring, 26.9 percent of their assists and 34.9 percent of rebounds from last season, each category ranking 10th in the Pac-12. 

Only three of the eight regular rotation members from last year's Sweet 16 team return, making things difficult for the entire squad. If this group wants to make a run in the NCAA tournament, it will need its returning members to step up their efforts while the new players get acclimated very quickly.

Otherwise, this could end up being a long season in Westwood.

Key Newcomers

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Kevon Looney (Power Forward)

The McDonald's All-American comes into the year as one of the best big men in the entire class. The 6'9" forward is athletic enough to make plays at the rim while also having the skill to hit a three-point shot if given the chance. 

Expect him to take on a major role within the offense right out of the gate.

Thomas Welsh (Center)

UCLA was hoping for a deep recruiting class behind Looney with the No. 7 group in the nation, according to 247Sports. Unfortunately, it is not as strong as initially believed, as Australian forward Jonah Bolden was ruled ineligible for the upcoming season, putting more pressure on the remaining players. 

As a result, Thomas Welsh will be forced to make a bigger impact early in the frontcourt. The 7-footer is relatively raw, but he should be an important piece on a team that otherwise lacks size. 

Isaac Hamilton (Guard)

Hamilton signed with UTEP as one of the best recruits in the 2013 class, but he decided to transfer to UCLA before ever playing a game. The Bruins will now hope he was worth the wait, contributing as an electric combo guard who knows how to score points in a hurry.

He will likely split time at both guard positions this season. 

Key Returners

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Norman Powell (Shooting Guard)

The team's leading returning scorer at 11.4 points per game, Norman Powell is hoping to take a big jump this year as the senior leader. 

He is already an excellent defender, but the question is whether he can use his athleticism to be a consistent force on the offensive end of the court. He certainly will need to improve his outside shooting, which stood at just 29.4 percent last season.

Bryce Alford (Point Guard)

The coach's son got a lot of playing time last season as a freshman, often at the expense of NBA lottery pick Zach LaVine. This year, Bryce Alford should have the confidence to take control of the team and be an extension of his father on the court.

Tony Parker (Power Forward)

Parker made a positive impact off the bench last season with his willingness to fight inside for rebounds and points in the paint. He needs to keep up the intensity in what should be a lot more minutes this time around. 

Roster and Projected Rotation

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Steve Alford will try to get the best five players on the court as much as possible, creating a bit of an unorthodox starting lineup. You can view the full roster at UCLABruins.com.

Starting Lineup

PG: Bryce Alford

SG: Isaac Hamilton

SF: Norman Powell

PF: Kevon Looney

C: Tony Parker

Key Bench Players

Thomas Welsh (Center), Gyorgy Goloman (Forward), Wanaah Bail (Forward), Noah Allen (Guard)

It will not be a traditional starting lineup with three guards in the backcourt and two undersized forwards in the frontcourt. However, there should be enough scoring and defense from the players on the floor to match up with almost anyone in the Pac-12.

Of course, the bench might be more of an issue with no one having much experience at this level. Gyorgy Goloman (6'10") and Thomas Welsh (7'0") will at least be able to provide some much-needed size inside.

Biggest X-Factors

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Inexperience

Norman Powell and little-used guard David Brown represent the only seniors on the team, while Bryce Alford and Tony Parker are the only other players besides Powell who have seen regular minutes at the college level.

Even the most talented teams struggle out of the gate with mostly underclassmen, but the question is how quickly this squad can learn to play together and reach its potential.

Lack of Size

There is no one in the projected starting lineup taller than 6'9", and the only players taller than this (Thomas Welsh and Gyorgy Goloman) are freshmen who are not expected to make huge impacts early.

Add this to an already small backcourt, and this team could have trouble matching up to bigger teams like Arizona. 

Depth

The starting lineup has enough talent to get by, but there are a lot more questions about how much of a drop-off there will be when the bench is needed. Wanaah Bail and Noah Allen will need to take big jumps from last season to make an impact. 

Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios

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Best-Case Scenario

Norman Powell improves his shooting and becomes one of the best scorers in the Pac-12. Kevon Looney and Isaac Hamilton play well in their first years and bring some balance on the offensive end of the court.

Outside of Arizona, no one else in the Pac-12 steps up, and UCLA finds itself second in the conference and a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.

With some strong guard play, the Bruins play their way into the Sweet 16.

Worst-Case Scenario

The freshmen do not live up to expectations, and the pressure is squarely put on the upperclassmen. The lack of depth becomes an issue as the starters become burnt out over the course of the season.

While the Pac-12 doesn't have any elite teams, a deep list of quality opponents like Stanford, Utah, Colorado and others cause problems throughout the conference year. The losses pile up, and the Bruins miss the NCAA tournament in a rebuilding season.

2014-15 Prediction

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Despite the lack of experience, UCLA's starting lineup should match up with almost anyone in the country. Norman Powell has the tools to be an elite scorer, while Kevon Looney can be almost unguardable at this level.

The problem is the lack of depth, which will hurt Steve Alford's ability to play uptempo basketball. The young players will also struggle early in the season against tough nonconference foes like Kentucky, Gonzaga and others in the Battle 4 Atlantis. 

This team will get better once the conference season starts, but there will still be a lot of close losses, especially away from home. The squad will finish in fifth place in a solid but unspectacular Pac-12.

Although the Bruins will get a bid to the NCAA tournament, they will earn a middling seven to 10 seed and be eliminated in the first two rounds. 

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