UCLA Basketball: Breaking down 2023-24 non-conference schedule

Tournaments and Other Contests

The big tournament on UCLA’s schedule is the Maui Invitational in November, which has one of its most stacked fields of all-time. There’s also the CBS Sports Classic in December.

November 20-22: Maui Invitational (in Lahaina, HI)

Shortly after UCLA announced its schedule, the Maui Invitational bracket was officially released, meaning the Bruins know their first round opponent: Marquette. That’s a tough break for Cronin and squad, as the Golden Eagles return a ton of talent from last year and should be one of the best teams in the country, led by Tyler Kolek.

Depending on the result of the game, UCLA will either get Kansas (yikes) or Chaminade (whew). One can imagine the Jayhawks will persevere over Chaminade, so a loss to the Golden Eagles could at least give UCLA the chance to leave Hawaii with one victory, unless Chaminade is feeling upset-minded.

The teams on the other side of the bracket are Tennessee, Syracuse, Purdue, and Gonzaga, none of which would be easy contests for the Bruins. UCLA is guaranteed to face one of them on their last day in Lahaina.

December 16: CBS Sports Classic (Venue is TBD)

The CBS Sports Classic is on UCLA’s schedule, but without an opponent and without a venue. Back in May, Rocco Miller of The Bracketeer reported that the Bruins would take on the North Carolina Tar Heels in Atlanta, but we’ll wait on some sort of confirmation about that. All that being said, UNC returns Armando Bacot and is smarting from last season’s disappointment, so they’ll be motivated. RJ Davis is back too, while Harrison Ingram transferred in.

As UCLA gears up for its final run in the Pac-12, its non-conference schedule – featuring at least one future conference foe – will put the Bruins to the test.