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UCLA Basketball: Five Teams to Schedule a Home-and-Home With

By Mike Regalado

January 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford watches game action against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
January 8, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins head coach Steve Alford watches game action against the Stanford Cardinal during the first half at Pauley Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Here are five schools the UCLA Basketball team needs to consider scheduling a home-and-home series with.

UCLA Basketball Head Coach Steve Alford has made an effort to schedule tough non-conference games since he has been in charge. Next season is no exception as the Bruins have Kentucky and Cincinnati on the schedule.

And that got me thinking, what other teams should Alford schedule in the future?

Here are 5 programs the Bruins should consider a home-and-home series with:

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Louisville Cardinals

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Next season UCLA will have played Kentucky five times in four seasons. I think it’s about time to chill on that match up and focus on another team from Kentucky. The Louisville Cardinals have consistently been a top 25 team under head coach Rick Pitino. That alone should spark some interest in this series as well as have UCLA spread out across the nation, even though it is still in-state.

Kansas Jayhawks

This game would be huge! Can you imagine the Bruins playing in Allen Fieldhouse and then having the Jayhawks come down to Pauley Pavilion? It would be madness! I can already smell the ESPN broadcast with Bill Walton and David Pasch. It smells like a Grateful Dead concert.

Florida Gators

That’s right, I want this series! UCLA has not had a good time against the Florida Gators in recent history which is why a home and home should be scheduled. UCLA needs to shake off the demons of the past and prove that they can not only take down a top program, but one that has been the bane of their NCAA Tournament experience existence in the past decade and a half.

Villanova

How about taking on a recent national champion? Villanova under Jay Wright has been an East Coast powerhouse and a series against UCLA would be a huge draw. Villanova gets coverage on the West Coast and UCLA gets their name on the East Coast. It’s a win-win and hopefully it is a win-win for the Bruins.

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Mar 1, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski gets his players pumped up after guard Derryck Thornton (not pictured) took a charge in their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 1, 2016; Durham, NC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski gets his players pumped up after guard Derryck Thornton (not pictured) took a charge in their game against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Dolejs-USA TODAY Sports /

Duke

I just want to see the scowl on Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s face when his team loses twice to UCLA. And imagine the social media meltdown from Duke fans? It’ll be so magnificent!