UCLA announced its 2011-12 men's basketball schedule and the decision to play the majority of its games at the Los Angeles Sports Arena this upcoming season. Typically this isn't a big deal, but with historic Pauley Pavilion undergoing remodeling, the home court for the Bruins was up in the air ever since the Forum in Inglewood decided to do some remodeling of its own over th next year.
The Bruins aren't strangers to the Sports Arena, having played there from 1959 to 1965 before moving to the Pavilion while winning NCAA championships on both 1964 and 1965. The 1968 and 1972 NCAA championship games, both won by UCLA, were also held at the Sports Arena.
"We will make the Sports Arena a great environment for our fans and our team. We will bring our championship banners and will paint our colors as much as possible in the interiors of the building, including the basketball court, to make it our home away from home," UCLA Athletic Director Dan Guerrero announced in a press release. "For the fans, there is ample secured parking adjacent to the facility. Our staff will be working with Sports Arena management to create a fun, fan-friendly atmosphere inside and outside the facility for the upcoming season."
The road schedule includes nine Pac-12 games (Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, USC, Washington and Washington State), a trip to Madison Square Garden to face St. John's and three contests at the Maui Invitational with a field that includes Chaminade, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan and Tennessee.
The 2011-12 UCLA men's basketball schedule is detailed below.
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TENTATIVE 2011-12 UCLA MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE |
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| (All Home Games at Los Angeles Sports Arena Unless Noted) | |
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Sun., Nov. 6 | Exhibition (@ Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario) |
| Fri., Nov. 11 | Loyola Marymount |
| Tues., Nov. 15 | Middle Tennessee State (Maui-on-Mainland) |
| Mon., Nov. 21 | @ EA Sports Maui Invitational (Chaminade, Duke, Georgetown, Kansas, Memphis, Michigan, Tennessee) |
| Tues., Nov. 22 | @ EA Sports Maui Invitational |
| Wed., Nov. 23 | @ EA Sports Maui Invitational |
| Mon., Nov. 28 | Pepperdine |
| Fri., Dec. 2 | Texas |
| Sat., Dec. 10 | Penn (@ Honda Center) |
| Wed., Dec. 14 | Eastern Washington |
| Sat., Dec. 17 | UC Davis (@ Honda Center) |
| Tues., Dec. 20 | UC Irvine |
| Fri., Dec. 23 | Richmond |
| Thu., Dec. 29 | @ California |
| Sat., Dec. 31 | @ Stanford |
| Thu., Jan. 5 | Arizona (Wooden Classic @ Honda Center) |
| Sat., Jan. 7 | Arizona State (@ Honda Center) |
| Sat., Jan. 14 | @ USC |
| Thu., Jan. 19 | @ Oregon State |
| Sat., Jan. 21 | @ Oregon |
| Thu., Jan. 26 | Utah |
| Sat., Jan. 28 | Colorado |
| Thu., Feb. 2 | @ Washington |
| Sat., Feb. 4 | @ Washington State |
| Thu., Feb. 9 | Stanford |
| Sat., Feb. 11 | California |
| Wed., Feb. 15 | USC |
| Sat., Feb. 18 | @ St. John's |
| Thu., Feb. 23 | @ Arizona State |
| Sat., Feb. 25 | @ Arizona |
| Thu., Mar. 1 | Washington State |
| Sat., Mar. 3 | Washington |
| Mar. 7 - Mar. 10 | Pac-12 Tournament @ Staples Center, Los Angeles, CA |
| Mar. 15 - Mar. 18 | NCAA Second and Third Round |