After a challenging matchup against Duke in the 2013-2014 season, UCLA men’s basketball added another elite opponent to its schedule next season.
UCLA will face off against Kentucky on Dec. 20 as part of the CBS Sports Classic held in Chicago at the United Center. Also playing in the Classic will be North Carolina and Ohio State, who will face each other before UCLA’s game. The games will be nationally televised by CBS.
The same schools will continue to take part in the CBS Sports Classic for the following two years as well, but not in the same location. Games in 2015 will be held in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center and in Las Vegas for 2016.
“Having four of the nation’s marquee programs involved in this field over the next three years is great for college basketball,” said coach Steve Alford in a statement. “These types of non-conference matchups early in the season are extremely helpful in preparing your team for March, and I know our guys are really looking forward to this game.”
The showdown against Kentucky will give a new-look UCLA team an early test. The Wildcats return several key players from its NCAA tournament run that took them all the way from a No. 8 seed to the championship game in which they lost to the Connecticut Huskies. The Bruins, meanwhile, will have just one returning starter – then-senior guard Norman Powell – from last season’s Sweet 16 appearance.
Compiled by Kevin Bowman, Bruin Sports senior staff.