ANAHEIM, Calif. – UCLA will join a field of eight basketball programs in the 2016 DIRECTV Wooden Legacy, to take place during Thanksgiving Weekend at Titan Gym and the Honda Center, it was announced Friday.

Joining the Bruins in the 2016 field will be CSUN, Dayton, Nebraska, New Mexico, Portland, Texas A&M and Virginia Tech. The tournament will begin Thursday, Nov. 24, and continue Friday, Nov. 25 and Sunday, Nov. 27.

“It's always an honor for our program to play in a tournament that carries Coach Wooden's name” UCLA head coach Steve Alford said. “Coach Wooden, his legacy and the way he lived his life are such important parts of the fabric of our university. We're excited to be a part of next year's Wooden Legacy and look forward to what should be a great tournament.”

The first two days of games will be played at Titan Gym on the campus of Cal State Fullerton, with Sunday's final games taking place at the Honda Center. The DIRECTV Wooden Legacy features a bracket format with 12 games through three days. Each team competes in one game per day, advancing through the bracket. The two teams that remain undefeated face off in a championship game on the final day of competition.

UCLA previously played in the three-day event in 2009, when it was called the “76 Classic” and took place at the Anaheim Convention Center.

The Bruins have not played at the Honda Center since Dec. 1, 2012, when UCLA faced San Diego State in the Wooden Classic. Prior to that game, UCLA played four "home" games at the Honda Center during the 2011-12 season as Pauley Pavilion was undergoing an 18-month renovation.