For the first months of the 2015-2016 men’s basketball season, Pac-12 teams will play nonconference schools across the country, with each schedule varying in difficulty. Using Ken Pomeroy’s 2016 College Basketball Rankings, Daily Bruin Sports analyzed each team’s scheduled opponents and ranked the Pac-12 schools by their strength of schedule.

A custom-designed horse trail in Chatsworth, California leads up to Sierra Canyon School, a private institution graced by hundreds of trees and, more notably, the children of celebrities like Britney Spears, Alec Baldwin and Will Smith.

Aaron Holiday stood in the middle of an office in the J.D. Morgan Center, his 6-foot-1 frame cloaked in a grey Adidas tracksuit. The freshman guard pored over the UCLA men’s basketball media guide, studying the Bruins’ past season statistics as well as the scouting report on UCLA’s first season opponent: Monmouth.

Heading into a season, a popular question to ask a team is, “What’s your identity?”
UCLA men’s basketball coach Steve Alford has already heard that question a few times this year, and still doesn’t have a concrete answer.

During women’s basketball’s first exhibition game last week, the Bruins pummeled Vanguard to a degree not seen in years. When the team plays St. John’s on Friday evening, it should not be as easy.

Prince Ali never thought he’d make it to UCLA.
He started out as just another face in the crowd, playing basketball in a borough loaded with basketball aspirants – the Bronx, New York.

With the UCLA basketball season opener coming up this Friday, Spectrum takes you on a photo journey through last year’s season with a few of our best photos.