UCLA men’s basketball released its 2014-2015 season schedule Tuesday morning.
UCLA opens its season on Nov. 14 against Montana State at Pauley Pavilion, two weeks after it plays its lone exhibition game against Azusa Pacific on Oct. 31 at home.
Of the Bruins’ 13 nonconference regular-season matchups, there appears to be more notable events and opponents than in years past.
Over Thanksgiving weekend, Nov. 26-28, UCLA will play three games in as many days in the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas. Though exact matchups haven’t been specified yet, the tournament field includes the University of Alabama-Birmingham, Butler, Florida, Georgetown, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Wisconsin, along with UCLA.
UCLA also hosts Gonzaga on Dec. 13, and travels to Alabama on Dec. 28 in the team’s only true non-conference road game. Sandwiched in between the two games is a marquee national television matchup against the Kentucky Wildcats – a likely preseason top-five team – on Dec. 20 at the United Center in Chicago for the inaugural CBS Sports Classic.
Specific dates haven’t been set for UCLA’s Pac-12 conference schedule, but the team’s Pac-12 pairings, home and away games and estimated dates have been set.
Of note, UCLA opens Pac-12 play on the road v. Utah / Colorado (Jan. 2-4), again plays conference powerhouse Arizona just once in the regular season – this year on the road (Feb. 18-22) as compared to last year at home – and closes the regular season at home against USC (Mar. 4-8).
Here is the tentative 2014-2015 UCLA men’s basketball schedule in full:
Fri., Oct. 31: Azusa Pacific (Exhibition)
Fri., Nov. 14: Montana State
Sun., Nov. 16: Coastal Carolina
Thu., Nov. 20: Nicholls State
Sun., Nov. 23: Long Beach State
Wed., Nov. 26: @ Battle 4 Atlantis (The Bahamas)
Thu., Nov. 27: @ Battle 4 Atlantis (The Bahamas)
Fri., Nov. 28: @ Battle 4 Atlantis (The Bahamas)
Wed., Dec. 3: Cal State Fullerton
Sun., Dec. 7: San Diego
Wed., Dec 10: UC Riverside
Sat., Dec 13: Gonzaga
Sat., Dec 20: Kentucky at United Center (Chicago)
Sun., Dec 28: at Alabama
Jan. 2 – Jan. 4: at Utah, at Colorado
Jan. 7 – Jan. 11: Stanford, California
Jan. 14 – Jan. 18: at USC
Jan. 21 – Jan. 25: at Oregon, at Oregon State
Jan. 28 – Feb. 1: Utah, Colorado
Feb. 4 – Feb. 8: at Stanford, at California
Feb. 11 – Feb. 15: Oregon State, Oregon
Feb. 18 – Feb. 22: at Arizona State, at Arizona
Feb. 25 – March 1: Washington, Washington State
March 4 – March 8: USC
TBD: Pac-12 Tournament at MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas
March 17 – March 18: NCAA First Round
March 19 – March 22: NCAA Second and Third Round
March 26 – March 29: NCAA Regional
April 4 and April 6: NCAA Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Indiana
Compiled by Chris Kalra, Bruin Sports senior staff.