UCLA is off to a hot start this season, beating No. 5 Arizona in their season opener and cruising to victory behind a 114-63 performance over North Florida last Friday night.

The two wins to start the season have revealed a potential strength for this UCLA team, thanks to the makeup of this roster. In his postgame press conference, head coach Mick Cronin spoke about the strength of playing as a team rather than as individual players, something that UCLA has done exceptionally well so far this season.

Mick Cronin’s Thoughts

“Basketball is the hardest sport to coach because your players have to play offense and defense,” Cronin said.

“The biggest problem in basketball is too many players think they're the quarterback when they're the wide receiver. And their parents want them to be the quarterback. And you can make the NBA being a wide receiver because you're a great one. You know, but in basketball it's hard, you know, and the guys that make it, they know, they play to their strengths and they're smart and they're stars at what they do.”

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In this instance, Cronin is right on the money. Too many players in college basketball are looking to dominate their team on the stat sheet, when in reality, honing in on a certain aspect of their game and being exceptional in one aspect can truly be game-changing for the teams they are a part of. Players who excel as perimeter defenders or can rebound at a high rate find minutes because they can do those things well, and Cronin seemingly understands that.

New Era in College Basketball

In this day and age of college basketball, where the transfer portal is always alive, we are seeing more and more teams built around a majority of newcomers each season. For many teams, this leads to dysfunctional offenses that don't gel and a lack of team chemistry surrounding college basketball. However, the Bruins don't seem to have that issue, as they have built a well-rounded roster that has the strengths to complement one another.

UCLA has the talent on its roster for many players to be the primary scorer. However, if every player on the floor wants to lead the team in scoring, it leads to a selfish and dysfunctional offense that doesn't win national championships.

The functionality and connectivity of this UCLA team could be a major advantage for the Bruins moving forward as they take on some top-tier teams that have a variety of newcomers who may not gel together as the season goes on.