Taking a look at the stacked Big Ten basketball schedule

UCLA will begin their Big Ten schedule soon. Which is sure to be a fun one this season with teams playing close games and battling. The Big Ten is currently 83-6 combined and six teams in the AP top 25. With Indiana, USC, Oregon and Ohio State all getting votes, putting 10 teams in the top 30. It is set to be a grind this season in the race to win the Big Ten and head into March Madness with a high seed.

This UCLA team will be right in the thick of things as they are built to win. Donovan Dent came over to shore up the back court with Skyy Clark. Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. both have taken steps in the growth of their game. Xavier Booker also transferred in to handle the starting duties at the five. With Bilodeau out with injury, Cronin decided to start Brandon Williams. Keeping the size around the same and keeping Trent Perry and Jamar Brown on the bench.

One positive that the Bruins have seen is Brown and Steven Jamerson II getting better since the Arizona game. Both players struggled with the speed of the game. Which is common for players that are transferring from smaller schools. Games are higher stakes and players are simply better and are high recruits for a reason. The Bruins will need both of them as the season chugs along and rotations move to an at max of eight players.

There is no more room for error with this team. Blow outs are very unlikely to happen anymore, and starters will play 32-35 minutes per night. It will be key to see what production the bench guys give. The Big Ten is stacked, UCLA is also stacked. After the first two games of the season, the team has really improved. It will need to play consistent team ball to get wins. For a team with high expectations, some top 10 wins should be on the radar.