UCLA to face North Carolina in CBS Sports Classic

The UCLA men’s basketball team’s nonconference schedule received a bump in difficulty Tuesday when it was officially announced that the Bruins will face North Carolina in the CBS Sports Classic.

The game, scheduled for Dec. 21 at approximately noon Pacific Time, will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It will mark UCLA’s second trip to the World’s Most Famous Arena in three seasons.

The second game of the event’s doubleheader will feature Kentucky and Ohio State.

The Tar Heels, who are projected to be among the nation’s top teams in various preseason rankings, are led by returning consensus first-team All-American RJ Davis. The high-scoring senior guard is the reigning ACC player of the year and averaged 21.2 points per game.

In February, Davis scored a career-high 42 points to set a new Dean Smith Center record in a 75-71 win over Miami.

The Bruins, meanwhile, will boast a roster with nine newcomers. Eight of them are already on campus, with the program taking to social media to share a photo of the group at the Mo Ostin Basketball Center practice facility.

After struggling with an inexperienced group highlighted by a slew of freshmen from overseas last season, UCLA head coach Mick Cronin leaned heavy on experience in the transfer portal.

Among the standouts are forwards Tyler Bilodeau (Oregon State) and William Kyle III (South Dakota State) and guard Skyy Clark (Louisville). Yet to arrive and officially be announced is 3-point shooting specialist Dominick Harris (Loyola Marymount).

The Bruins also signed top-50 freshman guard Trent Perry, who was previously committed to USC before a coaching change reopened his recruitment this offseason.

UCLA’s complete 2024-25 schedule will be released in September.