UCLA Basketball: Schedule Unveiled for Arizona Matchup

Even with conference realignment taking place next season, the UCLA-Arizona men's basketball rivalry is expected to remain intact. Among former Pac-12 teams, UCLA is heading to the Big Ten along with crosstown rival USC, Oregon, and Washington, while Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are instead going to the Big 12.

Arizona is UCLA men's basketball's biggest rival aside from USC, and the two teams have planned to continue playing each other in the future. Next season, this matchup will reportedly take place in December with the two foes facing off on Dec. 14 in Phoenix, Arizona during the Naismith Hall of Fame series, per Field of 68's Jeff Goodman.

Arizona will play UCLA at the Footprint Center in Phoenix on Dec. 14 in the Naismith Hall of Fame Series, source told @TheFieldOf68.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) June 4, 2024

Last month it was reported that Arizona and UCLA had already agreed to a multi-year deal to continue their matchups. These games will take place at a neutral site between the two teams, though next season's matchup will likely bring in more of the Arizona home crowd since it is taking place in Phoenix, Arizona. The series will then continue with a matchup in Las Vegas in 2025-26, and then a future one in Los Angeles in 2027-28.

It will of course be disappointing to see the two powerhouses no longer compete for the same conference title and play at least twice a year, but the silver lining is the two programs are keeping the rivalry alive.

This is not the only agreement UCLA men's basketball has made with a non-conference foe. The Bruins made a similar agreement with rival Gonzaga, who they are set to face in Inglewood, California.

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