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UCLA Basketball: Is This Team For Real?

By Mike Regalado

Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) celebrates with guard Aaron Holiday (3) during the second half against the Long Beach State 49ers at Pauley Pavilion. The UCLA Bruins won 114-77. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins guard Lonzo Ball (2) celebrates with guard Aaron Holiday (3) during the second half against the Long Beach State 49ers at Pauley Pavilion. The UCLA Bruins won 114-77. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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The UCLA Basketball team is off to a 7-0 start which has them at #11 in the AP Poll. Are they for real or is dissappointment on the way?

Who would have thought that after a 15-17 season which ended with no post-season play, that the UCLA Basketball team would be one of the top teams in the nation early in this 2016-17 season?

After beating Texas A&M for the Wooden Legacy championship, the Bruins are off to a hot 7-0 which has gotten them a #11 ranking in this week’s AP Poll.

With the addition freshman of Lonzo Ball, TJ Leaf and now Ike Anigbogu, UCLA is oozing offense with their core of veterans.

Related Story: Lonzo Ball's Dad Guarantees a UCLA Championship

Not only are the Bruins one of the top scoring teams in the nation with 96.9 ppg (3rd in Division I hoops), but they are also first in assists (24.1 apg) and field goal percentage (.547), 4th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.99), 6th in 3-point field goal percentage (.452) and 16th in total rebounds (286).

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If it is their offense that solely carries them to success, then the outlook for that is very good as they are developing some solid chemistry. With all UCLA players buying into their uptempo philosophy, it should get even better for the Bruins.

Yes, this Bruin team is really moving… but they aren’t perfect.

UCLA will put a ton of points on teams, but the same could be done to them. If the Bruins have a weakness, it is their defense. So far this season, UCLA is allowing 75.3 points per game, that is 239th best average in Division I Basketball.

The good news is that the Bruins seem to be fixing that problem on the fly. Against Texas A&M, UCLA stepped up the pressure and limited the Aggies to 40% shooting.

They are not going to bring on Ben Howland-style defense, but if they can focus on the little improvements, they should be able to go far this season.

Next: UCLA Moves up to #11 in the AP Poll

This Saturday, we will get to see just how successful UCLA can be when they take on their biggest test in this early part of the season against Kentucky. Can the Bruins go toe-to-toe with the #1 team in the nation (again) or will UK put a beatdown on the Bruins, just as they did two years ago in the CBS Sports Classic?