UCLA Beats #1 Kentucky

The months of November and December are notable for some great college basketball games between non conference opponents, often with matchups of teams with traditional or historic programs. Sure, there are a few good non conference games in January and February, but most of the time, teams are busy with conference rivals and coaches don’t like the distraction of dealing with such games. But right now, especially with holiday tournaments around Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are plenty of opportunities for college hoops fans to see some great non conference matchups.

A case in point was the game December 3rd in Los Angeles between #1 ranked Kentucky and UCLA, two of the more storied and successful programs in college basketball history. UCLA has won the NCAA tournament 11 times and Kentucky has eight championships; no one else has more than five. UCLA beat Kentucky 92-85 in the 1975 championship game, the final game of Bruins’ legendary head coach John Wooden’s career.

This was the 12th game between the two teams, with Kentucky holding a 7-4 lead in the series. The Wildcats clobbered the Bruins 83-44 last season. It was a lot different this year. UCLA got off to a flying start, Kentucky shot just 38 percent from the field, and the Wildcats were in foul trouble for much of the game. The result was a satisfying 87-77 victory for UCLA. It was Kentucky’s first regular season loss since March of 2014.

The Bruins have a couple of other great non conference matchups coming up later this month. They will be at #13 Gonzaga on the 12th and will host #9 North Carolina on the 19th. The Wildcats will host Arizona State on the 12th, Ohio State on the 19th, and in state rival and 24th ranked Louisville on the 26th.