Projected Starting Lineup
G – Darren Collison, 6-0 Sr. (34.7 MPG, 14.5 PPG, 3.8 APG)
G – Jrue Holliday, 6-3, Fr. (5-Star Freshman Prospect)
F – Josh Shipp, 6-5 Sr. (32.5 MPG, 12.2 PPG, 3.2 RPG)
F – Alfred Aboya, 6-9 Sr. (15.2 MPG, 2.9 PPG, 2.2 RPG)
C – J’mison Morgan, 6-9 Fr. (5-Star Freshman Prospect)

Impact Bench Players
G – Jerime Anderson, 6-1 Fr. (4-Star Freshman Prospect)
G – Malcolm Lee, 6-5 Fr. (4-Star Freshman Prospect)
F – James Keefe, 6-8 Jr. (11.7 MPG 2.8 PPG, 2.7 RPG)

Guards
UCLA will have to replace guard Russell Westbrook, as he entered the pros after his sophomore season. However, they do return Darren Collison, who is one of the best point guards in the nation. A great passer, Collison also shot 53% from 3 point range last season. Joining him at the other guard spot will be freshman Jrue Holliday. Holliday is the top ranked freshman 2 guard in the country, and he’ll be a great all around player. Once again, UCLA won’t have much depth at this position.


Forwards
The Bruins will also have to replace one of their starting forwards as Luc Richard Mbah a Moute left a year early to go the NBA. They also lost bench player, senior Lorenzo Mata-Real. As a result, Alfred Aboya, who started 17 games last season, will step into the role of a full time starter this season. Josh Shipp will also start at forward, where he logged a lot of time last year. Shipp’s perimeter shot is a bit shaky, but he’s very effective when he drives to the basket. Their not very deep at forward, either, as James Keefe will likely have a bigger role. Freshman J’mison Morgan is big time prospect who will try to fill Kevin Love’s shoes. They’ll definitely miss his passing and overall basketball IQ.

Final Thoughts
Despite losing three starters, you still have to think that UCLA will be a very good team this season. They return two quality staters in Collison and Shipp, and although they will likely start two freshmen, those are big time recruits who are good enough to start right away. Howland’s teams have always been excellent defensively, so they’ll likely be awesome in that regard. The Bruins really struggled with their deep shooting last year, so that’s something to keep an eye on. Look for UCLA to probably only go about 7 or 8 deep, much like they did last year. If the freshmen they have are as good as advertised, UCLA could visit the final four once again.