No. 6 – UCLA

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For the past two seasons, UCLA coach Ben Howland has extolled the virtues of senior leadership. Whether it was Dijon Thompson in 2004-05, or Ryan Hollins and Cedric Bozeman last season, Howland had a senior to lead the way. Not anymore.

The Bruins have talent in Arron Afflalo, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, Josh Shipp, and highly regarded incoming freshman James Keefe. But what UCLA doesn’t have is a senior.

“It is weird,” Howland says. “We have experience, but you always want seniors. When you know it’s your last year, sometimes it changes the way you play.”

UCLA must deal with the losses of Hollins and Bozeman — the Bruins’ best players in the NCAA Tournament — as well as the early departure of point guard Jordan Farmar. It leaves sophomore Darren Collison in control of the offense, which should help UCLA defensively but could be a downfall on offense when shots need to be made.

“We lost three starters,” Howland says. “We have a good nucleus returning, but defensively, Ced and Hollins were probably our two best defenders besides Arron. We’ll have to be better offensively.”

FRONTCOURT – Sophomore Alfred Aboya will likely start at center if his troublesome knees cooperate. Aboya earned minutes as a freshman for his hustle and hard work. Now, he must show he can face up and make a 12-foot jumper, or teams will sag defensively and make life more difficult for the guards.

“I think Alfred scores by hustling and beating you on the boards,” Howland says.

Lorenzo Mata’s development suffered when he missed two months last season with a broken leg, then underwent knee surgery in June and didn’t play over the summer. Mata is a rugged defender who gives UCLA a shot-blocking presence, but his offensive game is relegated to put-backs and chippies off dribble penetration.

Mbah a Moute earned Pac-10 Freshman of the Year honors playing primarily at power forward, but he yearns to play small forward. Don’t expect that to happen, however, because UCLA needs some type of scoring from the frontcourt, and Mbah a Moute is its best option. He spent the offseason working on his outside shot and should be a more complete offensive player this season.

The 6'8" Keefe, a McDonald’s All-American from Rancho Santa Margarita, is a combo forward with a nice shooting stroke. He committed to the Bruins as a sophomore in high school.

BACKCOURT – Howland controls much of the game from the sideline, calling plays and setting the defense, but he still needs someone to execute on the court. That’s where Collison comes in, but the question is whether he is ready to take over a year earlier than most expected.

Collison is a tremendous defender and can push the offense, but he needs to prove he can make the right reads in the half-court motion offense and shoot with consistency, especially from 3-point range. A year ago, he hit only 19 of his 58 attempts from beyond the arc.

Afflalo led the Bruins in scoring last season (15.8 ppg) and figures to do so again. He expends a ton of energy as UCLA’s best defender, but with Farmar gone, Afflalo will add the role of backup point guard to his résumé.

The backcourt will get a boost from Shipp’s return to the lineup. He missed much of last season after undergoing hip surgery. Shipp was a surprise as a freshman two years ago, and he will be expected to provide some scoring this season to help offset Farmar’s loss.

FINAL ANALYSIS – Expectations will be high in Westwood after UCLA reached the national title game a year ago. But losing three starters likely will be too much to overcome. Sure, the Bruins are an NCAA Tournament team, and they very well could win the Pac-10 again, but Bruins fans have their sights set higher. The 11 national championship banners hanging in Pauley Pavilion serve as a constant reminder of the standard at UCLA.

Farmar’s departure is the biggest concern. Collison may be a year away from running the offense to Howland’s liking, and next season the Bruins may be trying to replace Afflalo, as well as Mbah a Moute, both of whom will be tempted to head to the NBA.