The Fearsome Threesome, Episode One: Fresh Faces and Fresh Starts

Welcome to a new UCLA Bruins Basketball season. I will be your navigator during this UCLA and I will try to guide you through the madness that is Steve Alford. As of now, the Bruins are a perfect 4-0 with victories over the cupcakes of college basketball: Pacific, Cal State Northridge, San Diego and Long Beach State. They carry this momentum into the DIRECTV Wooden Legacy and an opening round game with Portland. Lonzo Ball has been on highlight reels across the nation as the UCLA offense is humming at the start. In three of their four games, UCLA has scored over 100 points. TJ Leaf, Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton, Aaron Holiday and Thomas Welsh all are averaging double digit points. It’s highly unlikely that these numbers stay as high as they are for these Bruins but it never hurt to come out hot in a season. They’ll probably be some regression but Steve Alford’s sake they need to keep these numbers at a high clip. The UCLA defense is downright disappointing; they gave up 87 points to Cal State Northridge and 77 points to Long Beach State. Both of these schools shouldn’t touch 50 if the Bruins want to accomplish all their goals. The Wooden Legacy tournament should allow UCLA to play some quality teams and potentially bolster their tournament resume.

After their opening game against Portland the Bruins would be in line to play Dayton or Nebraska. Both teams would provide UCLA with their toughest opponents of the season and would be the Bruins first test before their real test. The fab freshman UCLA has in Leaf and Ball must be tested before they face Kentucky and this tournament will be pivotal. The last heralded freshman that the Bruins have, Ike Anigbogu, will soon return from his knee surgery he went through last month. With his return the UCLA Fearsome Threesome of Ball, Leaf and Anigbogu will be complete and could be ready to lead UCLA to old heights. I expect big things from the Bruins and a Pac-12 Championship is a large possibility for this team. Steve Alford has to show the nation why he deserves to stay at UCLA this year with arguably his most talented Roster he’s ever had. I believe that his UCLA team will most likely stay behind Arizona for the Pac-12 crown but will easily make the tournament and end up as a 3-4 seed.