UCLA has been selected No. 21 in the preseason Associated Press men's basketball poll, as Monday. The Bruins will open the regular season against Purdue Fort Wayne on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
The Bruins return redshirt juniors Prince Ali and Alex Olesinski and sophomore guards Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands and Chris Smith. All five players were prominent contributors in the team's eight-man rotation last season. In addition, UCLA returns redshirt freshmen Jalen Hill and Cody Riley.
UCLA has welcomed six incoming freshmen this season – guards Jules Bernard, Tyger Campbell and David Singleton, forwards Kenneth Nwuba and Shareef O'Neal and center Moses Brown.
The Bruins are scheduled to play as many as 13 games against teams who have been ranked in the poll's top 25 or have received votes. UCLA could play six games against teams that have been ranked in the top 25 of the preseason poll.
UCLA will host one exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 27, against New York Institute of Technology. Game time in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom is 7:30 p.m. (PT).
2018-19 AP Preseason Poll
The Bruins return redshirt juniors Prince Ali and Alex Olesinski and sophomore guards Kris Wilkes, Jaylen Hands and Chris Smith. All five players were prominent contributors in the team's eight-man rotation last season. In addition, UCLA returns redshirt freshmen Jalen Hill and Cody Riley.
UCLA has welcomed six incoming freshmen this season – guards Jules Bernard, Tyger Campbell and David Singleton, forwards Kenneth Nwuba and Shareef O'Neal and center Moses Brown.
The Bruins are scheduled to play as many as 13 games against teams who have been ranked in the poll's top 25 or have received votes. UCLA could play six games against teams that have been ranked in the top 25 of the preseason poll.
UCLA will host one exhibition game on Saturday, Oct. 27, against New York Institute of Technology. Game time in Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom is 7:30 p.m. (PT).
2018-19 AP Preseason Poll
| Rank | Team | 2017-18 Record | Points (1st Place Votes) |
| 1 | Kansas | 31-8 | 1581 (37) |
| 2 | Kentucky | 26-11 | 1529 (19) |
| 3 | Gonzaga | 32-5 | 1461 (1) |
| 4 | Duke | 29-8 | 1452 (4) |
| 5 | Virginia | 31-3 | 1286 (2) |
| 6 | Tennessee | 26-9 | 1268 (1) |
| 7 | Nevada | 29-8 | 1230 |
| 8 | North Carolina | 26-11 | 1221 |
| 9 | Villanova | 36-4 | 1085 |
| 10 | Michigan State | 30-5 | 1024 |
| 11 | Auburn | 26-8 | 974 |
| 12 | Kansas State | 25-12 | 922 |
| 13 | West Virginia | 26-11 | 678 |
| 14 | Oregon | 23-13 | 638 |
| 15 | Virginia Tech | 21-12 | 630 |
| 16 | Syracuse | 23-14 | 620 |
| 17 | Florida State | 23-12 | 530 |
| 18 | Mississippi State | 25-12 | 451 |
| 19 | Michigan | 33-8 | 437 |
| 20 | TCU | 21-12 | 297 |
| 21 | UCLA | 21-12 | 297 |
| 22 | Clemson | 25-10 | 268 |
| 23 | LSU | 18-15 | 187 |
| 24 | Purdue | 30-7 | 170 |
| 25 | Washington | 21-13 | 165 |