UCLA basketball ranked No. 2 in preseason AP Top 25 poll

The anticipation continues to equine for the UCLA men’s hoops team.

A week aft being picked to triumph the Pac-12 Conference by the media, the Bruins volition present participate the 2021-22 play the No. 2-ranked squad successful the country, according to Monday’s preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll.

It’s the highest AP preseason ranking for the programme since being No. 2 anterior to the 2007-08 season. The Bruins returned the 2008-09 play ranked No. 4.

Gonzaga is No. 1, Kansas is No. 3, Villanova is No. 4 and Texas is No. 5 to circular retired the apical five. Gonzaga received 55 (of the 63) first-place votes. UCLA received the remaining eight.

Oregon was the lone Pac-12 squad included successful the Top 25 canvass astatine No. 13.

The Bruins finished past play 22-10, including a 13-6 Pac-12 grounds that was bully for 4th place. UCLA was 11-1 astatine home. The AP nary longer has a last ranking astatine the extremity of the NCAA season, but UCLA was No. 7 successful April aft its magical Final Four tally successful the USA Today Coaches Poll.

This ranking was expected for months, particularly erstwhile inferior Johnny Juzang decided to travel backmost to UCLA aft investigating the NBA waters. Juzang’s banal roseate aft his stellar March Madness performance, starring the tourney successful scoring with 22.8 points per game, a astir seven-point summation from his 16 points per crippled successful the regular play successful 27 games.

“He’s got a batch of point-forward aspects to his game. He’s a creator.”
-Mick Cronin

⁦@peytonwatson_⁩ | @tshell20

Peyton Watson acceptable to lend for UCLA aft winning FIBA golden medal for USA https://t.co/9Kw6Q44QEn

— Tarek Fattal (@Tarek_Fattal) October 18, 2021

Juzang, on with guardant Cody Riley (who besides tested NBA waters), instrumentality to roster with the Final Four lineup intact, including Jaime Jaquez Jr., Tyger Campbell, Jules Bernard, David Singleton, Jake Kyman and Mac Etienne. The roster was besides bolstered implicit the summertime erstwhile McDonald All-American Peyton Watson joined the squad and 6-foot-10 halfway Myles Johnson transferred from Rutgers.

UCLA volition statesman its play connected Thursday, Nov. 4, astatine Pauley Pavilion with a 7 p.m. accumulation against Chico State. The Bruins big Cal State Bakersfield for their regular-season opener connected Tuesday, Nov. 9 astatine 8 p.m.