UCLA opens at No. 12 in preseason AP Top 25 men's basketball poll
UCLA will open the upcoming men’s basketball season ranked just outside the top 10.
The Bruins were ranked 12th in the preseason Associated Press Top 25 poll released Monday. They are one of six Big Ten teams in the rankings.
Overall, UCLA will play seven games against top-25 opponents.
Purdue tops the poll, followed by Houston, Florida, Connecticut and St. John’s to round out the top five.
Big Ten representation
In addition to Purdue and UCLA, the Big Ten is represented by Michigan (No. 7), Illinois (No. 17), Michigan State (No. 22) and Wisconsin (No. 24).
The Bruins and Badgers will meet Jan. 6 in Madison, Wis. Two weeks later, Purdue will visit Pauley Pavilion.
In February, UCLA will play three consecutive games at Michigan (Feb. 14) and Michigan State (Feb. 17) before returning home to host Illinois (Feb. 21).
UCLA nonconference opponents in Top 25
While the Bruins’ schedule prior to entering Big Ten play is light on travel, there are still two ranked nonconference opponents on the slate.
UCLA will play rival and No. 13 Arizona on Nov. 14 at Intuit Dome in Inglewood. The Bruins will also head to Seattle to play No. 21 Gonzaga at Climate Pledge Arena on Dec. 13.
The Bruins will play exhibition games at San Diego State on Friday and against UC Irvine (Oct. 28) before opening the season Nov. 3 against Eastern Washington at Pauley Pavilion.
