MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The No. 3-seed UCLA basketball team met with members of the media after a 50-minute open practice at FedExForum on Thursday afternoon, one day prior to Friday's Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2-seed Kentucky (31-5).
 
The Bruins' game on Friday, slated to begin at 6:40 p.m. PT (at 8:40 p.m. CT in Memphis), will be nationally televised on CBS. UCLA faced Kentucky on the road earlier this season – Dec. 3, 2016 – and secured a 97-92 victory in the team's first-ever meeting at the Wildcats' Rupp Arena.
 
UCLA has returned to Memphis after a Sweet 16 matchup against the Florida Gators in 2014, during head coach Steve Alford's first season in Westwood.
 
"Well, excited to be back in Memphis," Coach Alford said. "We were here three years ago, played a very good Florida team, and now obviously going to play an outstanding Kentucky team. It's great to be back here, and our guys have done a tremendous job getting themselves back to here. We've had a phenomenal year, and it's a busy time of year for us."
 
This season's UCLA team (31-4) entered the South Regional as the No. 3 seed and advanced to the Sweet 16 last weekend after notching wins against No. 14-seed Kent State (97-80) and No. 6-seed Cincinnati (79-67) at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, home to the NBA's Sacramento Kings.
 
UCLA arrived in Memphis late Wednesday afternoon after a morning practice in the Bruins' Pauley Pavilion. Thursday afternoon included a 50-minute open practice at FedExForum, home to the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies, before Coach Alford and freshmen Lonzo Ball and TJ Leaf answered questions in a press conference.
 
The significance of Friday's matchups wasn't lost on UCLA's players, knowing that UCLA (11 national titles) and Kentucky (eight national titles) rank first and second, respectively, in all-time men's basketball NCAA titles.
 
"I mean, it's huge," Leaf said. "You look at the history of both programs. Just us, we have 11 national championships. That in itself makes it so much more fun of a matchup because of the history behind both programs and how successful they've both been."
 
Calling the action on CBS this Friday night will be Jim Nantz, Grant Hill and Bill Raftery, with Tracy Wolfson serving as the sideline reporter. UCLA's game, slated to begin at approximately 6:40 p.m. PT, will begin after the first regional semifinal matchup between No. 1-seed North Carolina and No. 4-seed Butler. The UNC-Butler game is expected to begin at 4:10 p.m. PT.
 
Fans in the Los Angeles area will be able to listen to UCLA's radio broadcast on AM 570 Sports (KLAC), as play-by-play voice Josh Lewin and analyst Tracy Murray will have the call live from FedExForum. 
 
In addition, Westwood One will carry the national radio broadcast, available on more than 500 terrestrial radio stations across the nation (search tool available at WestwoodOneSports.com/stations). All of Westwood One's game broadcasts will be transmitted on SiriusXM. Each venue's broadcasts will air on a specific channel. The Thursday broadcasts, via Westwood One, from Memphis can be heard on Sirius channel 136, XM channel 201 and App channel 961.
 
The winner of the UCLA-Kentucky contest will face the winner of the North Carolina-Butler game on Sunday in Memphis, at a time to be determined late Friday night.
 
The Bruins are making their third Sweet 16 appearance in the last four years and are seeking their first trip to the Elite Eight (regional final) since 2008.