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UCLA Basketball: Mick Cronin Reacts to Multi-Game Series Between Bruins and Arizona

Sam Garcia

Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports
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With the dismantling of the Pac-12, long-standing conference rivalries dwindled away with it. As UCLA heads to the Big Ten, Arizona is making its way over to the Big 12 conference, making matchups between the two less likely. But, UCLA and Arizona men’s basketball are determined to maintain the rivalry despite joining different conferences this season. 

The two schools agreed to participate in a multi-game series that will consist of games in three out of the next four seasons. All three games will be hosted at neutral sites. The first game will be at the end of the year on Dec. 14 at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.

The Bruins’ head coach Mick Cronin eagerly awaits the upcoming game against the Wildcats. The UCLA men’s basketball program shared a quote via X from Cronin on facing Arizona. 

"We look forward to facing Arizona next season in Phoenix. It's a win-win situation for both UCLA and Arizona, as we want to preserve what has turned into a fantastic basketball rivalry out West,” Cronin said. “These are two schools with strong basketball traditions and passionate fan bases, and it's important for us to find ways to continue playing each other."

"I have a lot of respect for Tommy Lloyd and the job that he has done the past three seasons at Arizona. His teams are talented and well-coached. Adding Arizona to our schedule next season will help our team as we move into Big Ten Conference play," Cronin said.

As two of the top Pac-12 men’s basketball teams, the UCLA-Arizona rivalry is a back-and-forth battle. The two schools have faced each other every season since 1979 but played against each other for the first time in 1923, just four years after the Bruins’ inaugural season. The all-time record, beginning in 1923, is 88-65 with the Wildcats leading. 

Last season, UCLA and Arizona faced each other twice. The Wildcats secured the victory both times. Although the score was close in the first game (77-71), the second game had a much larger margin in the final score (88-65). Arizona’s two wins over UCLA crowned them as the Pac-12 regular season champions, a feat the Bruins achieved the season prior.

Even though the Bruins will not have a chance to reclaim the Pac-12 regular season title from the Wildcats, the rivalry will live on through the multi-season series for at least the next four years.

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Sam Garcia
SAM GARCIA

Samantha Garcia is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. She is also a sports writer for the Daily Bruin at UCLA.

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