UCLA Basketball: The men’s team 2017-18 season preview

1. Introduction to the 2017-18 Men’s UCLA Basketball Season Preview

The UCLA Basketball team came back to the land of the living in 2016-17 as the Bruins went from a 15-17 team that got wrecked by the USC Trojans in the first round of the Pac-12 Tournament and completely missed the NCAA Tournament to end the 2015-16 season, to a 31-5 team that made it back to the Sweet 16.

With the help of an epic recruiting class, the Bruins bounced back onto the national scene with the help of superstar freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf. Along with a core of Bryce Alford, Aaron Holiday, Isaac Hamilton , George Goldman and Thomas Welsh, the Bruins were able to once again make a name for themselves.

That continues this season as UCLA will look to keep up their high-scoring, uptempo style of play with an even deeper recruiting class which has seven players coming (as opposed to only three last year). Though the Bruins lose five players from last season’s squad, Holiday, Goloman and Welsh have enough talent and experience to keep the fire going with the new guys.

So what does this upcoming season hold? Go Joe Bruin tells you as we present the UCLA Men’s Basketball 2017-18 season preview. Enjoy.

Table of Contents

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1. UCLA Men’s Basketball Preview
2. Roster & Projected Line-Up
3. Coaches/Staff
4. Schedule
5. “The Keys” Returners, Losses and Recruits
6. 2016-17 Result
7. 2017-18 Outlook
8. Ticket & Social Media Information

2. Roster and Projected Lineups

Projected Lineups

Starters: Holiday, Hands, Wilkes, Goloman, Welsh

Bench: Ali, Ball, Goloman, Hill, Olesinski, Okwarabizie, Riley, Smith

This is the deepest team Steve Alford has had since taking over four years ago. This gives him a lot of variation to work with, which means several lineups to use.

What is going to be interesting is the fact that the UCLA Basketball team will have has two very good point guards and both of them will most likely start. Holiday has the experience, but Hands also has the talent to lead on his own. What we will most likely see is both Holiday and Hands sharing the ball to start and switching off as games progress.

UCLA has three shooting guards and all of they project to come of first the bench. Ali should be the first to check and could be used in some point guard situations if needed (foul trouble, injury), but will most likely get the most time at the 2 spot.

Ball and Smith can play the 2 or 3 spot, but the small forward position will mostly be handled by Wilkes, who is already getting recognition. He was one of two Bruins named to a preseason watch list, specifically the Juluis Erving Award, given to the top small forward in country.

Riley and Goloman could be a toss up to start at power forward. Goloman has made progress in his game the last few seasons and will most likely start. Riley has more raw talent, but may need to get aclimated to the team before he battles for a starting spot. Olesinski is another option to play PF, though his minutes depend on his development in the off-season.

Welsh will be a three-year starting center in 2017-18. Last year he developed his mid-range baseline jumper and looks to add another weapon to his cache as it has been reported that he is also developing a three point shot. Hill will add some power off the bench as well as some much needed defense. Okwarabizie should see few minutes off the bench as a center.

3. Coaches/Staff

Head Coach – Steve Alford

Assistant Coaches – Duane Broussard, David Grace, Tyus Edney

Video Coordinator – Kory Alford

Director of Scouting/Player Development – Kory Barnett

Director of Basketball Administration – Doug Erickson

Athletic Performance Coach – Wes Long

The coaching staff was given some breathing room in 2016-17. Before last season, the Bruin faithful did not look so cheerfully on the staff who went 15-17 in 2015-16. Banners flew over head. Lories brandishing adverts circled campus. Petitions were being sent around the internet, specifically on social media, which called for the termination of Alford. Then 2016-17 happened.

The combo of core veterans and talented freshmen turned the program around. UCLA went from 15-17 to 31-5. This was a case for ‘Coach of the Year’ for Alford if we ever saw one (yet Arizona’s Sean Miller received it, funny how that is playing out in the current environment).

Alford finally had the pieces in place for his uptempo style of basketball. The Bruins were 2nd in the nation in scoring with 89.8 ppg, but they also had a few faults. Defense was an issue. The Bruins were 259th out of 347 teams in points allowed, giving up 75.5 ppg. Now keep in mind, the up-and-down nature of UCLA’s offense allowed opponents to score more points with more possessions per game against UCLA, but for those who analyzed the Bruins, knew they had deficiencies on defense.

If the coaches put more effort into the defense, there is a possibility the Bruins can win the Pac-12 and go farther in the NCAA Tournament. If UCLA makes it past the Sweet 16, it will be the first time Alford has gone that deep in his career as a head coach.

4. 2017-18 Schedule

The UCLA Basketball team is looking to build off their success in 2016-17. That will have to be done with another challenging schedule.

The Bruins have a few cupcakes, like most Power 5 teams, but it definitely gets tougher when they get into the thick of the schedule. Their first big challenge comes in the season opener in Shanghai, China. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets return their top three scorers from a team that went 21-16 last year, but should be an easy “W” for the Bruins.

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The Hall of Fame Classic poses the next big threat, but one that is manageable for UCLA. Creighton may need to use their speed this year as they only have three players taller than 6’10” and in the next round, they face Baylor or Wisconsin. Baylor lost their top scorer in Johnathan Motley (17.3 ppg)  but return a good core that includes guard Manu Lecomte (12.2ppg  3.8 apg ) and 7’0” center Jo Acuil (9.1 ppg, 6.7 rpg). In last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Badgers made the East Regional Semis before losing by one point to Florida. This year’s team returns just one player who averaged double digits and just one senior.

Then next tough stretch comes toward the end of non-conference play against Michigan, Cincinnati and Kentucky, although the last two seem like the bigger threats. The Bruins will see a lot of familiar faces from the Cincinnati team they beat in the NCAA Tournament last year. The tough Bearcats’ defense should again rank near the top 10 in the nation. Then there is Kentucky, the team that gave the Bruins their walking papers n the 2017 NCAA Tournament. This will be the Bruins’ toughest test in the non-conference and a great opportunity to see where UCLA stands after playing a mostly soft schedule up to this point.

In Pac-12 play, the biggest threats remain Arizona, USC and Oregon (all three, along with UCLA, are expected to battle for the conference championship). It is a travesty that UCLA and Arizona only meet once in the regular season, though UCLA will have to play tough as this game is in Tucson.

Returning USC players Chimezie Metu, Jordan McLaughlin, and Elijah Stewart lead a Trojans team that was ousted in the second round of the NCAA Tourney last year. UCLA won two out of three versus SC last year but a big turnover on the Bruins’ roster could make for two tough regular season games.

Arizona is always tough, even after losing Lauri Markkanen and Kadeem Allen. Allonzo Trier returns along with the best recruiting class in the PAC-12. With only one matchup against the Bruins in the regular season, the game could be huge in determining the PAC-12 champion.

So yes, it is going to be a battle from start finish, which makes reaching the 31-win mark a bit tough to accomplish, but not impossible.

The Complete UCLA Basketball 2017-18 Schedule

Wed, Nov 1, vs Cal State LA, 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks (exhibition)

Fri, Nov 10, vs Georgia Tech (in Shanghai), 8:30 p.m., ESPN (Pac-12 China game)

Wed, Nov 15, vs Central Arkansas, 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks (Hall of Fame Classic)

Fri, Nov 17, vs South Carolina State, 6 p.m., Pac-12 Networks (Hall of Fame Classic)

Mon, Nov 20, vs Creighton (in Kansas City, MO), 4 p.m., ESPNU (Hall of Fame Classic)

Tue, Nov 21 vs. Baylor or Wisconsin (in Kansas City, MO), TBD, ESPN2 or ESPN3 (Hall of Fame Classic)

Sun, Nov 26, vs UC Irvine, 3 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Wed, Nov 29, vs CSU Bakersfield, 7 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Sun, Dec 3, vs Detroit Mercy, 6 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Wed, Dec 6, vs Montana, 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networkds

Sat, Dec 9, at Michigan, 9 a.m., CBS

Sat, Dec 16, vs Cincinnati, 12:30 p.m., CBS

Tue, Dec 19, vs South Dakota, 8 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Sat, Dec 23, vs Kentucky (in New Orleans), 1 p.m., CBS (CBS Sports Classic)

Pac-12 schedule

Fri, Dec 29, vs Washington State, 8 p.m., ESPN2

Sun, Dec 31, 5 p.m., vs Washington, Pac-12 Networks

Thu, Jan 4, 7 p.m., at Stanford, 7 p.m., FS1

Sat, Jan 6, at California, 3:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Thu, Jan 11, vs Utah, 8 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Sat, Jan 13, vs Colorado, 7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Thu, Jan 18, at Oregon State, 8 p.m., FS1

Sat, Jan 20, 7 p.m., at Oregon, ESPN

Thu, Jan 25, vs California, 7:30 p.m., FS1

Sat, Jan 27, vs Stanford, 7:30 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Sat, Feb 3, vs USC, TBD, ESPN or EPSN2

Thu, Feb 8, at Arizona, 7 p.m., ESPN

Sat, Feb 10, at Arizona State, 4 p.m., Pac-12 Networks

Thu, Feb 15, vs Oregon State, 8 p.m., FS1

Sat, Feb 17, vs Oregon, 7:15 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Thu, Feb 22, at Utah, 6 p.m., ESPN or ESPN2

Sun, Feb 25, at Colorado, 1 p.m., ESPNU

Sat, Mar 3, at USC, 7:15 p.m., ESPN

Mar 7-10, Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament, Las Vegas, NV

5. The “Keys” – Returners, Losses, Recruits

Key Returners

Aaron Holiday – 12.3 ppg, 4.4 apg, 2.9 rpg, .485 FG%

Thomas Welsh – 10.8 ppg, 8.7 rpg, 1.3 bpg, .585 FG%

Gyorgy Goloman – 3.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg, .581 FG%

Prince Ali – did not play in 2016-17 (injury), 2015-16 stats – 3.9 ppg, 1.1 rpg, .388 FG%

Key Losses

Lonzo Ball (NBA Draft) – 14.6 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 7.6 apg led the nation

TJ Leaf (NBA Draft) – 16.3 ppg led the team

Ike Anigbogu (NBA Draft) – 4.7 ppg, 4.4 rpg, .564 FG%

Bryce Alford (graduation) – 15.5 ppg, broke record for most three-pointers in UCLA history

Isaac Hamilton (graduation) – 14.1 ppg, 2.8 apg, .452 FG%

2018 Recruiting Class (rankings per Scout.com)

Jaylen Hands – Mater Dei HS, Chula Vista, CA, 5* Point Guard

Kris Wilkes – North Central HS, Indianapolis, IN, 5* Small Forward

Cody Riley – Sierra Canyon HS, Chatsworth, CA, 4* Power Forward

Jalen Hill – Centennial HS, Corona, CA, 4* Center

LiAngelo Ball – Chino Hills HS, Chino Hills, CA, 3* Shooting Guard

Chris Smith – Huntington Prep, Huntington, WV, 3* Small Forward

Joseph Wallace – Sierra Canyon HS, Woodland Hills, CA, Shooting Guard

2019 Commitments (as of November 1, 2017)

Jules Bernard – Windward School, Los Angeles, CA, 4* SG, 6’6″, 190 lbs., ranked #52 nationally

David Singleton III – Bishop Montgomery, Torrance, CA 4* SG, 6’4″, 180 lbs., ranked #52 nationally

6. 2016-17 Results

Overall: 31-5

Home: 16-1

Away: 8-2

Neutral: 7-2

The UCLA Men’s Basketball team was on fire out of the gate last season finishing the non-conference season with a 13-0 record and reaching as high as #2 in the AP Poll. The non-conference slate included wins against then #1 ranked Kentucky in Lexington, Michigan at home, and Ohio State in Las Vegas.

The conference slate did not quite go as well as the Bruins finished with a 15-3 record in the Pac-12, which was good for a third place finish behind Arizona and Oregon. The Bruins beat USC in the quarterfinals before losing for a second time to Arizona in the semifinals of the Pac-12 Tournament.

The Bruins had a great season at Pauley Pavilion, with a 16-1 record. The only home loss came in a tough matchup with the Arizona Wildcats, who they got revenge on later in the season in Tucson.

The Bruins had a respectable road record as well, as they finished with 8-2 away from Westwood. The two losses came at Oregon and USC, both of whom had success in the NCAA Tournament (Oregon went to the Final Four; USC went to the second round). Impressive road wins included at Kentucky and at Arizona, which are widely regarded as two of the toughest places to play in all of college basketball.

Despite an impressive 29-4 record entering Selection Sunday, the committee gave the Bruins a 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, presumably because of a perceived weak schedule and low quality wins (even though UCLA had two of the best road wins in the country but that’s another story). Worse yet, the Bruins were placed far from home in a South Region that included the soon to be national champions, North Carolina, and arguably the most talented team in the country looking for revenge, Kentucky. The Bruins were eventually bounced by 2 seed Kentucky in the Sweet Sixteen.

7. 2017-18 Outlook

Excitement for this year’s UCLA Basketball team seems to be tamed from last year’s team, but to underestimate this team would be a mistake. The Bruins return some talented pieces from last season’s squad and added a plethora of freshman that ranked in the top 5 of almost all recruiting class rankings.

It will be interesting to see if UCLA continues their newfound offensive scheme without the prowess of All-American point guard Lonzo Ball. It would seem this trend will continue with the return of Aaron Holiday and the arrival of 5-star Jaylen Hands.

Hands will have a lot of pressure on him early, as he may be unfairly labeled with the “Lonzo Ball Replacement” tag when, in reality, Ball cannot be replaced by just one guy, it will take the entire team. If Hands can withstand this early pressure, he and Holiday should develop into one of the most explosive backcourts in America.

The bigs will look a lot different too, with the addition of forwards Cody Riley, Kris Wilkes, Jalen Hill, Chris Smith, and LiAngelo Ball. The talented freshman will join incumbents G.G. Golomon, Alex Olesinski, and Thomas Welsh (who is primed for a breakout season). The frontcourt will be deeper than last year’s team, which should help to keep everyone fresh and make foul trouble less of an issue.

The non-conference schedule is daunting for the Bruins. After opening the season in China against Georgia Tech, the Bruins will face Creighton and then either Baylor or Wisconsin in the Hall of Fame Classic from Kansas City, Mo. The Bruins will also have to face 13th ranked Cincinnati at home, and 4th ranked Kentucky in New Orleans. Not to mention, a date with Michigan in Ann Arbor will be no easy challenge.

It is fairly unrealistic to expect the Bruins to finish this non-conference slate unscathed like last year’s squad, but there is opportunity for big wins, which haunted the Bruins come Selection Sunday last year. With an also improved Pac-12 (barring NCAA allegations) this year’s squad will likely finish with a few more losses overall than last year’s team. Although, nobody will care about the Bruin’s final record as long as they can improve in the NCAA Tournament.

Projected Record: 24-7, 14-4

8. Ticket Info, Social Media and GJB Required Reading

Visit UCLABruins.com for ticket information for single-game tickets, mini-plans and season tickets.

UCLA Men’s Basketball on Social Media

Twitter – @UCLAMBB

Facebook – UCLA Men’s Basketball

Instagram – UCLAMBB

Go Joe Bruin Social Media

Follow Go Joe Bruin all season long as we bring you all the latest news and opinions on the UCLA Football team. Also join us on Twitter as we will be live tweeting every game this season!

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Go Joe Bruin Reading and Resources

Podcasts

• What’s Bruin Show (on Twitter @WhatsBruinShow)
• UCLA B Team (on Twitter @UCLABTeam)

Recruiting

• Go Joe Bruin Basketball Recruiting Information

Go Joe Bruin Off-season Features

• Under Armour the new reveals UCLA Basketball uniforms
• Aaron Holiday is more important than ever
• Should UCLA be worried about LaMelo Ball’s eligibility?
• The iconic center court logo returns to Pauley Pavilion
• Which is better? UCLA’s 2016-17 team or the 2017-18 team?
• The FBI investigation could benefit the Bruins
• LaMelo Ball pulled out of Chino Hills High School
• Alford given one-year extension after 31-5 season
• UCLA picked to finish 3rd in the Pac-12 
• Can Thomas Welsh continue to blossom his game?
• The Bruins’ bench should be both talented and deep
• Welsh, Wilkes named to preseason award watch lists
• Possible platooning lineups for 2017-18
• UCLA ranked 21st in preseason AP Top 25 Poll

GO BRUINS!