UCLA Has Long Road To Exceed Current 2027 Expectations

Mick Cronin is heading into a pivotal year, as last year was a big disappointment.

During the preseason last year, Mick Cronin brought in one of the top transfer portal classes in college basketball. Bringing in players like Donovan Dent and Xavier Booker, the Bruins were slotted as the 12th-ranked team in the preseason AP Poll.

Mar 20, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the first half during a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

However, they would not reach that level as they would finish the year unranked.

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The top incoming transfer, Donovan Dent, had an underwhelming season for the most part, going from 20 points on 50% shooting from the field and 40% from three-point range with New Mexico to 13 points on 40% shooting from the field and 25% from three-point range with the Bruins.

UCLA head coach Mick Cronin reacts to a play against Michigan State during the first half of Big Ten tournament quarterfinal at United Center in Chicago on Friday, March 13, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During the college basketball offseason, the NCAA decided to expand the field of March Madness. Back in early May, the NCAA decided to expand the NCAA Tournament from 68 to 76 teams starting next season.

Now that the transfer portal has officially closed and the Bruins roster is set for next season, let’s look at where they are projected to be in the updated March Madness bracket.

Mar 7, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Mick Cronin reacts in the second half against the Southern California Trojans at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

CBS Sports Releases Latest Bracketology

CBS Sports has released its updated way-too-early March Madness projections, with the Bruins as a projected 8-seed in the tournament. If this projection were to be correct, the Bruins…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/ucla-long-road-exceed-current-100024989.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-15 10:00:00

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