UCLA's 2024–25 season will start on Monday at 7:30 PM PT when they play the Rider Broncs from the MAAC conference.
This game will be shown nationally on Fox Sports 1. UCLA looks to play better than they did in comparison to how they played in last season's non-conference games. Their offense struggled to score points, and UC Riverside upset them at home last season. This season, the Bruins should play much better in non-conference play.
Strengths for the Bruins for this game: UCLA returns critical players from last season, like Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack, as well as a good, solid group of transfers. The Bruins have a talented roster with better depth than last season, and UCLA added players via the transfer portal, which will help the Bruins put up points against this Rider team.
Potential Weaknesses for UCLA heading into this game: UCLA struggled at times last season to put points on the board, and it appears that it should not be an issue this season. However, they must prove it in this game to have fans and alums fully believe this season will be different. UCLA lost their best big man from last season, center Adem Bona, to the NBA draft, so the Bruins need a returning big man or one who transferred to UCLA to step up in his absence.
Strengths needed to pull off the upset for Rider: The Broncos are led by experienced head coach Kevin Baggett, who is entering his 13th season as Rider's head coach and was named the MAAC Coach of the Year in 2015 and 2018. They have a solid core of returning players, with starters TJ Weeks Jr. and Tariq Ingraham returning from last season's team. They are coming off a season in which they won 15 games, winning their last seven regular season games before losing in their conference tournament. They have some height on their roster, so they may be able not to get pushed around by the Bruins' big men.
Weaknesses that the Bruins may be able to exploit: Rider is a mid-major team predicted to finish 7th in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Rider will need to play their best game to have a chance to defeat the Bruins, which are ranked No. 22 in the country and considered a blue-blood program. Rider added nine players this season, so they will likely need more time to play together, and they may struggle with team chemistry in their first regular season game.
Prediction: UCLA wins big by a final score of 97-67.