UCLA Basketball: Non-Conference Game by Game Previews and Predictions

UCLA after the Maui Invitational, plays a game at home and then travels on the road to play a team from the Big East.

Game 7

Match Up: UC Riverside at UCLA

Date: Thursday, November 30th, 2023

TIme: 8:00 PM PT

TV/Streaming: Pac-12 Network

History between the two teams: UCLA has defeated UC Riverside each time they have played one another the five times they have faced off against each other.

Last meeting between the two schools: UCLA defeated UCR 98-56 in 2016.

Opponent last season: Member of the Big West Conference and they finished in third place last season.

Prediction: UCLA 87 UC Riverside 66

Game 8

This will be one of the marquee games for the Bruins in non-conference play as UCLA goes on the road to travel to the East Coast to play Villanova. The Wildcats did not have a good season last year and they look to bounce back and play like they did during the 2021-2022 season where they made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova is ranked No. 20 in the preseason Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the AP preseason poll. This could easily be a match-up between two top-25 ranked teams when these two teams play one another in early December.

History and Game Prediction

The history between the two teams: UCLA has played Villanova five times and the Wildcats have won three out of the five times they have played each other.

Last meeting between the two schools: UCLA defeated Villanova 86-77 in 2021.

Opponent last season: Member of the Big East Conference and they finished tied for sixth place last season.

Prediction: UCLA 79 Villanova 73