UCLA Basketball: 5 Reasons the Bruins Will Win the Pac-12 Tournament

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March 1, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins center Thomas Welsh (40) passes the ball in front of Washington Huskies forward Sam Timmins (33) during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Bruin Bigs

So we just talked about Thomas Welsh being an important part of the core veteran crew, but he’s also helping to lead the charge underneath the basket.

With UCLA gaining two solid front court players in TJ Leaf and Ike Anigbogu, the Bruins added offense and defense, respectively. Though Welsh was going to continue to be a force down low, the help he has received from the new guys has been a breath of fresh air.

Leaf has been nothing short of fantastic. The only drawback he had this season was suffering a sprained ankle in the second to last game of the regular season which kept him out against Washington State in the conference finale. Other than that, his team leading 16.3 points per game has given the Bruins a lot of buckets down low.

On the other end, Anigbogu has been a shot stopper on defense. Not only does his athleticism and tenacity make his opponents think twice about getting into the lane, but if you get too close to him, he will block your shot and it will go into the fifth row.

Not as productive, but still able to contribute to the team, Gyorgy Goloman has done a fine job in the backup role. He won’t get a lot of points, but he’ll throw his body around for the good of the team and that is something the Bruins need as they prepare for battle in the conference tournament.