UCLA Basketball: 12 Reasons the Bruins Can Still Win the Pac-12

If the Bruins take away anything from the two upset losses they suffered to mid-majors to begin their season, it’s that nothing will be handed to them this season.

Forget about the top 25 rating. Forget about the hype of the Wear twins. This team is going to have to earn everything that comes to them this season.

The Bruins have many adjustments to make if they want to be a competitive team this year in the NCAA. Although they've had a rough start to the season, UCLA still has a chance to be a good basketball team.

The 0-2 start to the season was not very reassuring, but there’s still hope for the Bruins. Here are 12 reasons the Bruins can still win the Pac-12.

1. Guard Production Will Improve

Although the Bruins don’t have the most impressive lineup of guards, their lackluster performance won’t continue much longer.

Lazeric Jones’ disappointing combined performance of 10 points including one three-pointer in UCLA’s first two games will not be tolerated much longer by Ben Howland.

The Bruins are well aware that they need production out of their guards in order to have any offensive success. Therefore, Jones won’t be starting if he does not prove himself in the next two games. Tyler Lamb will have to prove that he is worthy of a starting position as well, or he will be on the bench.

Jerime Anderson will be starting point guard if Jones can’t turn it on, and Norman Powell or De’End Parker will play the 2 if Lamb loses his spot. Guard play has been very disappointing so far, and there are eligible candidates on the bench who can exceed such lackluster performances.

UCLA's guards vastly improved in Monday night's win over Chaminade. 

2. Reeves Nelson Will Adjust

The suspension of Reeves Nelson due to behavioral issues will humble UCLA’s star forward. Nelson’s frustration seemed to be centered upon Ben Howland’s integration of the Wear twins, both of whom started in UCLA’s season opener against LMU.

Nelson and the rest of the Bruin squad will feel more comfortable with the Wear twins in the lineup. Nelson has great potential this year and showed it in the first game he played against LMU with 13 points and eight rebounds.

Nelson will be an excellent player this year and will learn how to play alongside the Wear twins as well as Joshua Smith.

3. Defense Will Improve

As a coach that favors and greatly emphasizes defensive play, Ben Howland will not allow his Bruins to be so pathetic on defense. UCLA allowed 86 points to Middle Tennessee and 30 of those points were allowed on three pointers.

The Bruins allowed 10 three-pointers to LMU as well. Not only has their perimeter defense been lacking, but their defensive intensity just hasn’t been there. This will not last.

Immediate improvement will be seen on defense and all will be adjusted by the start of Pac-12 conference play.

UCLA's defense looked much improved in their win over Chaminade, although some kinks still need to be worked out.

4. Strengths Will Be Highlighted

Each team plays to its own tempo. The Bruins will learn to play to their strengths and make the necessary adjustments before the tip-off of the Pac-12. With the lack of impressive guard play, the Bruins will rely more upon their forwards.

The lack of outside shooting limits court space on offense, but the Bruins have some impressive guards to pick up the slack. In order to be successful, UCLA will play through their forwards and encourage them to be more aggressive in attacking the basket.

Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith, Travis Wear and David Wear will be the biggest performers this season for the Bruins. Let’s see how long it takes for them to adjust their offense to play to their strengths.

5. Chemistry Will Improve

The Bruins on-court chemistry in their first two games was almost nonexistent. Throwing David and Travis Wear into the starting lineup will take some adjustment.

It may take a little while, but they’ll figure out how to play with the new additions, and the new additions will learn how to play with the team.

What’s worrying to Bruins fans is that Ben Howland’s teams don’t usually get off to such a poor start. It’s not an anomaly—the Bruins deserved to lose both of their first two games.

However, team chemistry will improve in time for the start of the Pac-12, which will dramatically improve team play.

6. Talent Will Prevail

It was no mistake that the Bruins were ranked in the preseason. They still have the talent to do some damage in the NCAA and the chance to win the Pac-12 is still there. Major tweaks are necessary, but Ben Howland is capable of communicating the necessary changes to his squad.

David Wear, Reeves Nelson, Joshua Smith and Travis Wear will prevail as some of the best players in the Pac-12 this season, and can lead the Bruins to a title.

The biggest issue comes with the combination of players on the court, and it will take a little while for Ben Howland to determine which players perform best on the court at the same time.

7. Momentum Will Carry

Although the Bruins have struggled against mid-majors in the beginning of the season, it's hard to imagine them continuing to fall to lesser teams. The five games prior to the Bruins' Pac-12 tip-off are against average opponents that UCLA has a good chance to defeat.

Even if the Bruins don't have a rolling sweep going into the Pac-12, they should have some wins on the board, which will give them some confidence going into conference play. 

Playing a mid-conference team like Stanford to open up their Pac-12 campaign will give the Bruins a good chance to start off victorious, which will be important for their early matchups against Cal and Arizona. 

8. Balanced Pac-12 Schedule

Excluding the initial bundle of Cal and Arizona back-to-back in the beginning of the season, UCLA has a well-balanced Pac-12 schedule this year. Tougher opponents are dispersed evenly throughout the Bruins' schedule, which can potentially give the Bruins some games to unwind and gain momentum coming from and approaching games against tougher opponents. 

The Pac-12 will be a competitive conference this year, but the Bruins have a chance to be the best team in the conference if they can turn it on before conference play begins. Their schedule will give them the chance to boost their conference record and be a competitive force in the Pac-12. 

9. The Wear Twins Will Rally

David and Travis Wear didn't merely transfer across the country because they wanted more playing time. The high school All-American twins came back to their native California to win games and to try to win a national championship.

While UCLA's chances of winning it all this year aren't too high, they can still pull away with a Pac-12 Title, and the Wear twins will do everything they can to see that happen. 

The Wear twins have started in UCLA's preseason games and will be the core of UCLA's squad this year alongside Reeves Nelson and Joshua Smith. UCLA's depth of forwards will play to their advantage once they are able to initiate a steady offensive system. 

10. Tyler Lamb Will Step It Up

With the evident lack of performance from UCLA's guards in the beginning of the season, the Bruins' guard depth has been exposed immediately.

While the issue of guards will continue throughout the season, Tyler Lamb won't be as mediocre as he's been in the Bruins' first couple games. 

Lamb made less than 20 percent of his three-point attempts, which will not continue throughout the season. He may be a little rusty and will probably shake off the cobwebs before the start of the Pac-12 season. Lamb has great potential if he can get it going offensively, and is a great defender as well.

With the threat of an outside shooter, the Bruins' offense would be improved dramatically. The opposing defense would spread and more offensive opportunities would be presented to the Bruins. 

He stepped it up against Chaminade, especially from behind the arc, and showed his true potential.

11. Smith Will Put Up Big Numbers

As Josh Smith showed in UCLA's matchup against Middle Tennessee (15 PTS 9 REB), he is capable of being a dominant force for the Bruins and putting up big numbers in the Pac-12.

It's much too premature, but Smith has the chance to be a candidate for the Pac-12 Player of the Year award if he can continue to play like he did against Middle Tennessee. 

With the progression of the season, we will see Smith get in better shape, as he has yet to be in good enough physical shape to put in enough minutes for the Bruins. Smith averaged 21.7 minutes per game last year and has averaged 18.5 so far this season.

By the start of the Pac-12 season, Smith should be in good enough shape to play more around 25 minutes per game, which will increase his influence on games. 

Regardless of how many minutes Smith plays, he will put up big numbers with his increasing dominance in the paint and will be one of the best players in the Pac-12. 

12. It's All Uphill from Here

Being upset twice has put the Bruins well into perspective and in relative terms, every step forward will seem greater than it ever would have if the Bruins had rolled through the front end of their schedule as they were predicted to.

Every positive step will bring up team morale, which is crucial to the team's performance. 

The Bruins will have to use relativity to boost their spirits up. Once they can get the ball rolling in the right direction, they will use that momentum and carry it. Just remember, Bruins, the ball goes in the hoop. The "ball rolling" reference is just a saying. 

Look out Pac-12, the Bruins are still a contender.