Pundits have sharply different opinions on UCLA basketball as a competitor to USC

Kevin Sweeney, a writer for Sports Illustrated, is bullish on UCLA basketball heading into the upcoming college hoops season. In an exclusive interview, Sweeney expressed his belief that UCLA is undervalued nationally and highlighted the talent of the international players they have recruited.

Sweeney specifically mentioned Aday Mara, Berke Buyuktuncel, and Jan Vide as three European players who are highly skilled and regarded as legitimate NBA prospects. He argued that if these were one-and-done freshmen, UCLA would be considered a top-15 team. However, because they are lesser-known international recruits, there is some skepticism surrounding their potential impact.

Sweeney acknowledged that Mick Cronin’s system can be challenging to learn, especially for new starters like Dylan Andrews. Despite the learning curve, Sweeney believes that UCLA has immense upside due to the addition of multiple NBA prospects to their roster. He also praised Andrews, stating that he is the point guard capable of leading the team to success.

On the other hand, national college basketball commentator and reporter Jeff Goodman holds a different opinion. During a Field of 68 college basketball season preview show, Goodman made a surprising pick that contradicted Sweeney’s optimism for UCLA.

The college basketball season is set to begin on Monday, November 6.

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Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire