Where Does Dick Vitale Rank UCLA Basketball?

After finishing their first season in the Big Ten Conference with a 23-11 record and soon thereafter falling to Tennessee in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the UCLA Bruins' trajectory is looking up for next season.

Many share that same sentiment, including ESPN College Basketball Analyst and legendary head coach Dick Vitale, who included the Bruins in his list of the 12 best men's college basketball teams.

Vitale ranked UCLA as the 10th-best team in the country, noting their success in the transfer portal, headlined by the acquisition of New Mexico guard Donovan Dent, as the main reason the Bruins are a team to look out for ahead of the next season.

"Mick Cronin's Bruins keep grinding," Vitale wrote under UCLA's top-10 ranking. "Tyler Bilodeau and Eric Dailey Jr. headline a team loaded with talent, including transfers Donovan Dent, Steven Jamerson II and Xavier Booker. Look out Big Ten; this team is coming strong."

The former coach had high praise for the Bruins' transfer class, which is highly-ranked across recruiting boards, mostly due to the five-star transfer point guard Dent.

UCLA was ranked just above the Kentucky Wildcats at 11 and just below Duke at nine. The Blue Devils are recouping from the loss of NBA Draft headliner Cooper Flagg as Isaiah Evans and Caleb Foster return to join phenom prospect Cameron Boozer.

Vitale had other Big Ten teams on the list as well. The Purdue Boilermakers secured his top spot. They tied with the Bruins for fourth in the conference last season. The only other Big Tean representative in Vitale's top-12 was Michigan at No. 12.

The Wolverines finished last season with a 27-10 overall record and finished tied for second in the conference with a 14-6 record. They are adding transfers Elliot Cadeau and Morez Johnson Jr. to returners Roddy Gayle Jr. and Nimari Burnett.

UCLA finished the season with the 164th overall offense with similar low rankings in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage and free throw shooting.

With Dent addressing a dire need for improvement offensively, the Bruins are primed to build off the momentum of their inaugural season in the Big Ten by proving to be a true contender in the college basketball stratosphere.