Arizona vs. UCLA in Las Vegas: A Century-Old Rivalry Closes Opening Night at T-Mobile Arena
The Hall of Fame Series nightcap is the rivalry game: No. 5 Arizona, off a 36-3 Final Four season, meets No. 22 UCLA at 7 p.m. Pacific on TNT, truTV and HBO Max. The Bruins lead the all-time series 64-51 — and Mick Cronin has split his 14 meetings with the Wildcats right down the middle.
Opening night in Las Vegas ends with the oldest argument in western college basketball. No. 5 Arizona faces No. 22 UCLA at 7 p.m. Pacific at T-Mobile Arena in the second game of the Hall of Fame Series men's session, carried on TNT and truTV and streamed on HBO Max, with Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Allie LaForce on the call. The programs first met in 1923 and UCLA leads the series 64-51, but the modern ledger is even: UCLA coach Mick Cronin, starting his eighth season, is 7-7 against Arizona, with all seven losses coming under Tommy Lloyd, according to the rivalry preview read by the desk.
Arizona arrives carrying the bigger expectations. The Wildcats went 36-3 last season with the program's first Final Four appearance in 25 years, were picked as the preseason favorite in the Big 12 and open at No. 5 in the AP poll. Their center, senior Motiejus Krivas, opens as a preseason All-American and the frontrunner for Big 12 Player of the Year, and Sports Illustrated's preview makes establishing him in the paint — against UCLA veteran Xavier Booker, who averaged just over a block a game last year — one of the game's three keys. One question hangs over the Arizona rotation: Clemson transfer RJ Godfrey, expected to start at power forward, was recently denied a temporary restraining order in his eligibility case in Waco, and his status was unresolved in the previews read by the desk.
UCLA's path runs through tempo and a rebuilt backcourt. The Bruins have finished outside the top 300 in KenPom's adjusted tempo in each of the past three seasons under Cronin, while Arizona has ranked in the top 50 every season under Lloyd — Monday is a pace fight before it is anything else. UCLA must also replace Tyler Bilodeau, its 17.6-point leading scorer last season, now with the Brooklyn Nets after the second round of the NBA Draft, and its point-guard duties split between returner Trent Perry and Texas Tech transfer Jaylen Petty. The night will also honor the late Bill Walton: Arizona is bringing its custom tie-dyed chair made for the legendary UCLA player to T-Mobile Arena. Gonzaga and Purdue open the session at 4:30 p.m.; the rivalry closes it.
