LOS ANGELES – A slew of questions will need to be answered as the UCLA Bruins enter the 2024-2025 season. There is uncertainty surrounding the rotation as the Bruins have added nine new players to help them adapt to the challenges they will face in their first season in the Big Ten.


How will UCLA handle the schedule shift that comes with playing in the Big Ten?


Head coach Mick Cronin is concerned about the accumulation of travel over the course of the season. But his biggest concern, he said, as the Bruins move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, is the extra day student-athletes will spend outside of school, away from home, because of the way the schedule is laid out.


In the Pac-12, the games were separated by one day, while in the Big Ten, the games were separated by two or three days.


“The longer you have these guys away from home,” Cronin said, “they tend to lose focus. They tend to wander off a bit.”


The back end of those road trips could be messy for the Bruins as they get used to a new schedule.


Will the depth cause players to struggle with role definition?


Depth has been the buzzword of the preseason and Cronin appears to have had enough of it.


“You keep assuming we have all these guys,” he said. “I’m trying to find five that can play the way we need them to win.”


First of all, redshirts are brought along. But it’s unrealistic to expect a rotation of more than ten men to equate to winning. The point is that the Bruins have 10-plus who can earn playing time, which means individuals’ playing time will fluctuate. This can cause players to struggle to understand their role from game to game, and defined roles are essential to success in basketball.


For now, the buzzword associated with depth is sacrifice.


“Not everyone is going to be a 20-point scorer, not everyone is going to be a 10-plus point rebounder,” USC transfer Kobe Johnson said. “But you know what, you have to find what you do best for this team, and you have to do it well.”


Essentially, Johnson says: Find your role and do it. That’s easier said than done when the allocation of minutes is unpredictable.


When will we get insight into the Bruins’ best offensive and defensive lineups?


Cronin said he has an opinion on UCLA’s best lineup on offense and defense. When asked for details regarding staffing in these different scenarios, he predictably said no.


He praised Johnson’s defensive instincts and complemented the scoring ability of Oregon State transfer Tyler Bilodeau.


Beyond that, predicting how these respective groups will develop is complete speculation. Especially since Cronin will continue to tinker with UCLA’s upcoming slate of non-conference home games.



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