Ahead of regular season, UCLA men's basketball schedules exhibition vs. Chico State
The week before things get going for real, the Bruins will invite fans to Pauley Pavilion to watch their preseason tuneup against a local foe.
UCLA men's basketball will host Chico State in an exhibition game at home on Nov. 4, the week before it tips off its regular season slate against CSU Bakersfield on Nov. 9. The Bruins did not play their usual preseason exhibition game in the 2020-2021 season due to scheduling and health complications caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, but will resume their tradition this fall.
The past few teams who visited Pauley Pavilion for an exhibition game are Stanislaus State, the New York Institute of Technology, Cal State Los Angeles and Master's University. UCLA posted an average margin of victory of 38.8 points across those four contests.
Chico State is a Division II program that is part of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, which did not compete at all in the 2020-2021 campaign. The Wildcats went 23-7 with a 17-5 conference record the prior season.
While it has missed the postseason in its past two tries, Chico State made six consecutive DII NCAA tournaments from 2012 to 2017.
UCLA will now start its season with five contests at home before hitting the road and heading to Las Vegas for the Empire Classic, where it will place Bellarmine and Gonzaga on back-to-back nights. Following the season-opening homestand, six of the Bruins' next eight games will be played on the road.
TV info and a start time for the exhibition game have yet to be announced.
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