University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA Announces 2024-25 Non-Conference Men's Basketball Schedule
August 27, 2024 | Men's Basketball
LOS ANGELES – The UCLA men's basketball team will play 11 non-conference games in 2024-25, including consecutive weekend matchups against Arizona, North Carolina and Gonzaga in December.
The Bruins will open their regular-season schedule at home against Rider University on Monday, Nov. 4.
UCLA will play 11 non-conference contests from Nov. 4 through Dec. 28, with two Big Ten Conference games in early December (those two matchups are to be determined). The Bruins will enter the bulk of their 20-game Big Ten schedule after a neutral-site showdown against Gonzaga at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., on Saturday, Dec. 28. In addition, the Bruins will host one home exhibition game against Cal State L.A. on Wednesday, Oct. 30.
"Our team has had a productive summer, and I know that our players can't wait to get into Pauley Pavilion," said Mick Cronin, The Michael Price Family UCLA Men's Head Basketball Coach. "We have a lot of work ahead in these next two months, but I am excited about this group. Our non-conference schedule helps our team stay in the West and gives our fans here a chance to watch us in person, whether that's at UCLA, down in Inglewood, or in Henderson and Phoenix. We anticipate at least two trips to the East Coast, including the game against North Carolina at Madison Square Garden, and we would love all our East Coast fans to come watch the Bruins. We are less than 10 weeks from the season opener in Pauley Pavilion, and we're looking forward to what should be an exciting season."
UCLA's complete 31-game schedule, with all game times and broadcast details, will be finalized in late September. The Bruins' regular-season schedule will feature 17 home games, four neutral-site contests and 10 road games.
Following the Bruins' season opener on Nov. 4, UCLA will face New Mexico in a neutral-site matchup at Lee's Family Forum in Henderson, Nev., on Friday, Nov. 8. UCLA will return home with five consecutive contests in Pauley Pavilion from Nov. 11-26, including matchups against Boston University (Nov. 11), Lehigh (Nov. 15), Idaho State (Nov. 20), Cal State Fullerton (Nov. 22), and Southern Utah (Nov. 26). Home matchups against Idaho State and Cal State Fullerton are part of a multi-team event dubbed the Bruin Classic.
After a home contest versus Southern Utah on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the Bruins will play a pair of Big Ten Conference matchups during the week of Monday, Dec. 2. UCLA will face Arizona in Phoenix, at Footprint Center, on Saturday, Dec. 14, before hosting Prairie View A&M in Pauley Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 17.
UCLA closes its non-conference slate with back-to-back matchups against North Carolina and Gonzaga. The UCLA-UNC matchup is part of this year's CBS Sports Classic (Saturday, Dec. 21), hosted at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Bruins will fly back to Los Angeles and take on Gonzaga on Saturday, Dec. 28, at Intuit Dome in nearby Inglewood, Calif. That will mark the first-ever college basketball contest in the state-of-the-art facility, home to the NBA's Los Angeles Clippers.
The Bruins' remaining 18 Big Ten Conference matchups will take place starting the week of Monday, Dec. 30. UCLA's 20-game league schedule will be announced in September.
TICKET INFORMATION: UCLA's season ticket packages for the 2024-25 men's basketball campaign are now available. Fans can call (310) 206-5991 or email tickets@athletics.ucla.edu for more information. Single-game tickets for UCLA's non-conference home games will be available when the complete 2024-25 schedule is released in September. For more information about tickets, call UCLA Athletic Sales & Service at (310) 206-5991 or via email at tickets@athletics.ucla.edu.
NOTES ON THE OPPOSITION: Five of the Bruins' non-conference opponents finished in the top three of their respective conference standings in 2023-24. North Carolina (29-8) won the ACC's regular-season title, going 17-3 in league play. Arizona (27-9) won the Pac-12 Conference's regular-season championship with a 15-5 mark in league games. Gonzaga (27-8) finished in second place in the West Coast Conference (WCC), going 14-2 in league action. Boston University (16-16) tied for second place with four other teams in the Patriot League at 10-8 in conference games. Rider (15-17) tied for third place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) with a 12-8 conference mark.
Six of the Bruins' 11 opponents in the non-conference schedule are from out West. Those programs include New Mexico, Idaho State, Cal State Fullerton, Southern Utah, Arizona and Gonzaga.
BIG TEN SCHEDULE: The Bruins will play a 20-game schedule in their first season as members of the 18-team Big Ten Conference. UCLA, along with USC, Oregon and Washington, have joined the Big Ten Conference, entering the 2024-25 academic year. The Bruins will play their first two Big Ten games during the week of Monday, Dec. 2. UCLA will resume its league slate with 18 conference games starting the week of Monday, Dec. 30.
While the Big Ten men's basketball schedule has not been finalized, UCLA has already announced the home and road alignments of those 20 league games (news release here). The Bruins' 10 home games in Big Ten play will include (listed in alphabetical order) Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State, USC, Washington and Wisconsin.
The Bruins' 10 road contests in Big Ten action will include (alphabetical order) Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers, USC and Washington.
UCLA will face crosstown rival USC, as well as Oregon and Washington, for two games each (referred to as two-plays). Those matchup pairs will include one home game and one road game.
The Bruins' full 20-game schedule in Big Ten play will be finalized by early September.
UCLA's Non-Conference Men's Basketball Schedule
| Day | Date | Opponent | Site/Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wed. | Oct. 30 | Cal State L.A. (exhibition) | Pauley Pavilion |
| Mon. | Nov. 4 | Rider | Pauley Pavilion |
| Fri. | Nov. 8 | New Mexico | Henderson, Nev. |
| Mon. | Nov. 11 | Boston University | Pauley Pavilion |
| Fri. | Nov. 15 | Lehigh | Pauley Pavilion |
| Wed. | Nov. 20 | Idaho State | Pauley Pavilion |
| Fri. | Nov. 22 | Cal State Fullerton | Pauley Pavilion |
| Tue. | Nov. 26 | Southern Utah | Pauley Pavilion |
| Sat. | Dec. 14 | Arizona | Phoenix, Ariz. (Footprint Center) |
| Tue. | Dec. 17 | Prairie View A&M | Pauley Pavilion |
| Sat. | Dec. 21 | North Carolina | New York, N.Y. (Madison Square Garden) |
| Sat. | Dec. 28 | Gonzaga | Los Angeles, Calif. (Intuit Dome) |
