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College basketball rankings: UCLA at No. 11 in preseason

The UCLA Bruins are armed with a talented freshman class and a couple of solid veterans who will play big minutes in 2012-13.

By Scott Coleman
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE - Presswire

The UCLA Bruins will enter the upcoming college basketball season with high expectations. Top prospects Shabazz Muhammad and Kyle Anderson will bring an immediate influx of talent to Westwood, and transfer point guard Larry Drew II has the talent to lead UCLA every time they take the floor.

Despite all of the talent the Bruins possess, some are worrying if Muhammad, Anderson or any of the other incoming freshmen could miss time due to NCAA violations. Head coach Ben Howland has a lot of work to do if he hopes to gel his team together, and his job could be on the line if UCLA does not live up to expectations in 2012-13.

As the preseason rankings begin to trickle out, Sporting News has the Bruins ranked 11th to start the year. They are the second-highest ranked Pac-12 team, only behind the No. 8 Arizona Wildcats. Indiana, Louisville, Ohio State, Kentucky and Michigan rounded out their top five.

UCLA begins their season on Nov. 9 against the Indiana St. Sycamores. Practice is scheduled to begin in less than two weeks.