Naturally, on the Mount Rushmore of college basketball programs resides the UCLA Bruins. And rightfully so. UCLA has 11 national championships in its history, with 19 Final Fours. It is a College basketball betting record that any major college basketball program would be envious of. Yet, a deeper dive is required. Almost all of the UCLA basketball glory belongs to one man. To show, coach John Wooden led UCLA to ten of their 11 national titles and 12 of their 19 Final Fours. And UCLA coaches that followed cannot possibly escape his ghost of glory.
2023-24 UCLA Bruins Basketball Preview
| National Championship Odds: | +3500 |
|---|---|
| Betting Online Odds at SBG: | Click Here |
2023-24 UCLA Bruins Basketball Outlook
In 2018-19, UCLA finished 17-16. Following the firing of head coach Steve Alford in the middle of the season. The Bruins, representing a proud sports betting brand in college hoops history, were irrelevant. Enter Mick Cronin from Cincinnati. In turn, he immediately put the program back on track to the top of the Pac-12 and the country.
Momentum took hold in March 2021 with a wild run to the Final Four. Additionally, last season brought a second consecutive appearance in the Sweet 16. UCLA basketball is here to stay on the national map. The job that Mick Cronin has done in Westwood can’t be overstated. And there are no NCAABB betting signs of slowing down. UCLA signed seven freshmen this season. Including a few international players. Big man Aday Mora seems to be the prize of the class, standing at 7’3″. He should provide the Bruins with plenty of size to use against opponents.
The Bruins should have most teams beat on size this season. Despite their lack of experience of playing college ball. This should give them an advantage against opponents and possibly allow them to win more games than expected. Mora seems to be looked at as a potential lottery pick for the 2024 NBA Draft if he can produce this season. Additionally, sophomore Adem Bona could lead the way for this team and have prominent roles this season. While UCLA’s youth-heavy new team has the feeling of a rebuilding year, this program wants to win still big. It’s generally the expectation in Westwood, so the team is going to need to stay the course.
The Bruins should have most teams beat on size this season, even without the experience of playing college ball. This should give them an advantage against opponents and possibly allow them to win more games than expected. Indeed, the Ghost of John Wooden haunts UCLA to this day. Wooden’s success is impossible for anyone to replicate in today’s era of parity, the transfer portal, name, image, and likeness.
Wooden was the head coach of UCLA from 1948 through 1975. Yet the bulk of his success came at the end of his career. From 1962 through 1975, the Bruins made the NCAA Tournament every season but once (1966). Wooden led UCLA to eight national championships in his final nine seasons, with a Final Four loss in 1974 as the one exception.
In his last game as coach, Wooden led UCLA to a 92-85 win over Kentucky for the national championship. Since then, the school has had only one additional natty (1995). But there is cause to believe a new era of glory beckons.
Everything is above the table these days, making it more difficult to forge a Wooden-type dynasty. But the fact that there was a Wooden dynasty blinds UCLA fans and many gamblers today.