UCLA began the college basketball season at No. 22 in the preseason AP poll, but has been vaulted to the top 10 following a crucial win over Arizona in the season opener in Las Vegas. This puts the Bruins back in the top 10 for the first time since the 2022-23 season.

UCLA now comes in at No. 9 in the latest AP poll released on Monday, a 13-spot jump and the highest movement of anyone in the country.

UCLA’s win over Arizona was not easy by any means. It was a hard-fought victory for a Bruins team that didn’t even shoot the ball particularly well, yet still managed to come out on top, a testament to this team's ability to make big-time plays down the stretch. It was a solid win from the jump, with many Bruins sticking out as important contributors for this team this season.

UCLA’s win over Arizona immediately put the college basketball world on notice, and the Bruins proved they should be taken seriously as a potential title contender.

North Florida Win Proved They Can Dominate

UCLA also proved that while they can take down the top-tier teams in the sport, they can also dominate others, as they should. UCLA’s win over North Florida also revealed how talented Nikola Kusturica is, which is likely a major contributing factor to the Bruins' massive jump in the rankings.

Following up a marquee win with a dominant performance gives UCLA two resume pieces early on in the season that many other teams can’t compete with. UCLA showed both the massive offensive potential and their ability to go on huge scoring runs, as they went on a 35-2 run against North Florida in the first half.

UCLA Has Pressure Now

Moving forward, UCLA has now gained the expectations that come with being a top-10 team in college basketball, and with that comes pressure. UCLA will have a pretty light schedule for the rest of the month, but will tune things up again in late November with a MTE starting off against Saint Mary’s.

With the Bruins only two games in, they still have a lot to prove, and now have to make sure they can defend their new top-10 ranking.

Mick Cronin has built a competitive team this season, and the Big Ten is shaping up to be one of the best conferences in college basketball, as they look to produce a national championship winner once again.