INSIDE THE NUMBERS

2000-01 record: 21-12; 11-7 in Pac-10 (6th) Postseason: Lost to Missouri 82-73 in NCAA West Region semifinals. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Kapono 16.7 Rebs: Kapono 5.1 Assists: Bozeman 3.5 FG: Cummings 51.0% 3pt: Kapono 45.3% FT: Thompson 87.0% 01-02 Stats: UCLA | Pac-10 KEY LOSSES Matt Barnes | 13.5 ppg Dan Gadzuric | 11.7 ppg Billy Knight | 14.1 ppg PROJECTED STARTERS G | Cedric Bozeman | Soph G | Dijon Thompson | Soph G | Ray Young | Senior F | Jason Kapono | Senior F | T.J. Cummings | Junior Player to Watch Jason Kapono Senior Forward Hard to believe he's still around for senior season, but Bruins aren't complaining. DATE TO REMEMBER Dec. 21 Bruins go into Kansas a year after knocking off the then-No. 1 Jayhawks in Pauley.

 

UCLA BRUINS

Size and strength helped the Bruins to a Sweet 16 trip last season, and youth and quickness could do the same this time. Few teams nationally will spread the floor with more effectiveness than UCLA. Jason Kapono returns for his final season, and the 6-8 wing needs to add more rebounds to his outstanding shooting skill. Dan Gadzuric and his wingspan are gone from the middle, meaning junior T.J. Cummings (who backed up Gadzuric and departed forward Matt Barnes last season) finally gets his chance to shine. Michael Fey is a 6-11 freshman who will see time, while sophomore Dijon Thompson needs to create more looks. One major key is point guard, where sophomores Cedric Bozeman and Ryan Walcott struggled last season. Each will benefit from the shooting of senior Ray Young (who sat out last year) and Penn State transfer Jon Crispin. Preseason news wasn't kind to UCLA, which saw sophomore forward Andre Patterson leave for a junior college to try and regain eligibility and McDonald's All-American forward Evan Burns not qualify and instead enroll at San Diego State.

TOUGH ENOUGH..............................
The headband is back for a final go-around and Kapono should enjoy his finest season. If he gets more aggressive off the dribble and uses his teammates more, a scoring average of 16.0 could jump three to four points. Kapono is also a critical part of UCLA's press, which should again create countless scoring opportunities. Head coach Steve Lavin will experiment with several different lineups early, but UCLA will rise or fall based on its quickness.

TOUGH ENOUGH?..............................
There are going to be games with the Bruins get beat up on the boards. Rebounding help has to come from the guards, but it is Cummings whose game needs to take off. He has range to extend outside, but UCLA needs him to be more active defensively and more assertive when attacking the glass. It will help greatly if the 6-7 Patterson can get his grades in order and join the team before Pac-10 play begins. Thin inside, UCLA might rely some on football player Marcedes Lewis (6-6, 240) for rebounds.

BOTTOM LINE..............................
There could be stumbles early against the likes of Duke (in Indianapolis) and at Kansas, but the Bruins are used to starting slow and making a March push. Lavin has another team capable of advancing past the first weekend of NCAA play, but it's hard to imagine the Bruins challenging Arizona for a Pac-10 championship. It is easy to imagine them finishing third.