UCLA Bruins - NCAA Basketball Betting

It sure didn't take head coach Ben Howland long to re-awaken the sleeping giant that is UCLA Bruins basketball.

In the first three seasons under the former Pittsburgh bench general, the Bruins won 11, then 18, and then 32 games, taking the PAC 10 title last season and advancing all the way to the national championship game.

UCLA's run ended with a 73-57 loss to Florida, but the seeds have been sown; the Bruins are back as perennial national powers.

UCLA did have to go about replacing three starters from last year's squad, including point guard Jordan Farmar (who left school early to become a Los Angeles Lakers reserve) and two seniors who combined for 15 points and eight boards a game.

The Bruins returned a bit of nice talent, though: junior guard Arron Afflalo, sophomore forwards Luc Mbah a Moute and Josh Shipp and sophomore guard Darren Collison, and were fully expected to finish at or near the top of the PAC 10 again.

UCLA started out this season by winning its first 14 games over the likes of BYU, Kentucky, Georgia Tech and Texas A&M, and reached No. 1 in the polls before falling at Oregon in January.

Afflalo, who came back and didn't miss any action after breaking a bone in his foot in July, led the team in scoring for the second straight season. Shipp, who averaged 11 points per game as a frosh then missed all but four games last season after hip surgery, rebounded to become the team's second-leading scorer.

Mbah a Moute is a great talent who led the team in rebounding and is one of the best defenders in the PAC 10. And Collison, a super-quick sophomore, filled Farmar's shoes by leading the team in assists and pushing the ball on offense, and improved his shot considerably.

Junior forward Lorenzo Mata, a good rebounder and tough defender (just keep him off the free-throw line) completes the starting lineup

The Bruins improved their offense by over seven points a game this season, and their defense didn't miss a beat. One aspect that could be costly, though, is their team free-throw shooting, which ranks in the bottom quarter in all of Division 1.

Nonetheless, this is definitely a Top 10 team, and another Final Four isn't out of the question.

Arron Afflalo – PAC 10 Player of the Year candidate.

Luc Mbah a Moute – A talent with a knack for grabbing rebounds.

Darren Collison – Took over for Farmar at point, and performed very well.

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