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UCLA Basketball: Bruins Release 2023-2024 Non-Conference Schedule

The schedule is headlined by a quality midseason tournament.

Matt Wagner

UCLA Basketball: Bruins Release 2023-2024 Non-Conference Schedule
UCLA Basketball: Bruins Release 2023-2024 Non-Conference Schedule /
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This coming season for UCLA basketball is sure to be one of the more compelling in years.

Yes, the Bruins are coming off another trip to the NCAA Tournament largely in part to having one of the best defenses in the country, but the 2023-2024 season is going to be a time of transition for UCLA after so many years of stability under head coach Mick Cronin.

Program stalwarts Jaime Jaquez, Jr., Jaylen Clark, Tyger Campbell, Amari Bailey, and David Singleton are all beginning their NBA careers after successful tenures in Westwood.

Coming in to try to replace them are guards Ilane Fibleuil, Sebastian Mack, and Jan Vide, along with forwards Devin and Brandon Williams. Additionally, guard Lazar Stefanovic will join UCLA this year after transferring in after a successful two-season run at Utah.

UCLA certainly has a quality class coming in -- one that's ranked at No. 18 in the nation per 247 Sports -- but it remains to be seen how that group will adjust to the program.

The most notable returner for the Bruins is center Adem Bona, who's coming off a Pac-12 Freshman of the Year campaign last season. UCLA definitely has the potential to be one of the better teams in the nation, and their schedule reflects that.

UCLA released their non-conference schedule for the upcoming season, a slate headlined by a home date with Maryland, a road test against Villanova, and a return trip to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational.

It'll be the Bruins first trip to the Big Island since 2019, and the Invitational serves as an early season test for some of the best teams in the country. Joining the Bruins in Hawaii will be Kansas, Gonzaga, Marquette and Purdue among others, and will surely be a solid measuring stick to see where UCLA stacks up.

Cronin had similar thoughts in a statement released by the program on Monday.

"Who you play and how you prepare your team is extremely important. Winning games in the nonconference portion is helpful when you talk about getting into March and building a postseason resume. There's no question that we will be tested when we play in Maui. This year's Maui Invitational field is probably among the most challenging early-season tournaments that you are going to see. Every game is an opportunity. Our nonconference schedule will serve as a good litmus test for us, heading into Pac-12 play." (via UCLA)

Time will tell how the Bruins perform on the court, but there's a lot to look forward to as a new era of UCLA basketball is set to begin.

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Matt Wagner
MATT WAGNER

Matt Wagner was born and raised in southern California, and he lived there before moving to Colorado and getting his B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs in 2022. He relocated back to southern California in 2023 and is looking forward to covering the teams that mean so much to his home area. Some of his past work is in Bleacher Report, Dodgers Tailgate, and, most recently, Colorado Buffaloes Wire. Aside from writing, you can probably catch him petting the nearest dog or eating some good Mexican food.