New UCLA football head coach Bob Chesney and the Bruin football team have played so well this season that no self-respecting Bruin has bothered asking the question we usually start asking by mid-October: “Is it basketball season yet?”
After all, the UCLA football team is in the midst of one of its best, if not the best, season of the 21st century! So, you are forgiven if you haven’t asked that yet this year.
Now, just because none of us have dared ask the question, it doesn’t stop the fact that, indeed, basketball season is here.
Earlier today, your defending national champion UCLA women’s basketball team picked up where they left off in Phoenix in April — with a win. Today, they beat Lehigh in a matinee at Pauley Pavilion, 73-53, behind 15 points by Sienna Betts and 14 points from TCU transfer Donovyn Hunter.
Tonight, it’s the men’s turn when the Bruins face Arizona at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas as part of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series. Tip-off is set for 7:30 pm PT and the game will be broadcast on TNT and TruTV and it will be streamed on HBOMax.
For a detailed look at Mick Cronin’s squad, be sure to check out Dimitri’s big men’s basketball preview.
Let’s look at Tommy Lloyd’s Arizona team.
Arizona Wildcats’ Starting Five
Lloyd will probably start a lineup featuring three guards, a forward and a center. Overall, the Wildcats return just two starters from last season’s Final Four team. The two returning starters make up Arizona’s front court. Senior Motiejus Krivas returns as the Wildcats’ center and sophomore Ivan Kharchenkov is back as the Wildcats’ starting forward. Both big men averaged 10.4 ppg last year. Against UCLA last season, Krivas scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 34 minutes while Kharchenkov scored four points and pulled down three rebounds in 14 minutes.
Joining them will be three guards. Arizona’s most promising addition is probably freshman Caleb Holt. He was the co-MVP of the McDonald’s All-American game and has been named to the Jerry West Award Watch List. In the Wildcats’ three exhibition games, Holt averaged 17.7 points which was the best on the team and he was third on the team with 17 rebounds in those games.
Sophomore Derek Dixon transferred to Arizona this year after playing at North Carolina last year. He averaged 6.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2.7 assists for the Tar Heels and he shot 39.7% from three-point range.
The third starting guard will be sophomore Bryce James. The Sierra Canyon grad redshirted last season with Arizona.
Look for sophomore transfer JJ Mandaquit to see plenty of time off the bench. In the three exhibition games, he had 11 assists and just one turnover in 67 minutes of action. Last season, Mandaquit averaged 5.2 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists for Washington.
Outlook
Any UCLA-Arizona game is bound to be a hard-fought battle. Traditionally, by the time these teams would play, it would be apparent which one is the better team. But like a football game against Southern Cal, that wouldn’t necessarily ensure the better team would win.
At the same time, with tonight’s game being the season opener, it makes it even more unpredictable. It also means that Mick Cronin doesn’t have the luxury of tinkering with his lineup like he tends to do early in the season. It doesn’t mean that Cronin won’t do it this season. It just means that he won’t be able to do that tonight.
Hopefully, he’s able to outcoach Lloyd tonight. Unfortunately, Cronin has won just three of the ten games he has coached against Lloyd. At the same time, Cronin has gotten seven wins out of 14 games against the Wildcats.
Can he get his eighth win against Arizona tonight? We’ll have to tune in to find out.
Watch and Listen to the Game With TMB
Tonight’s game will be broadcast on TNT and TruTV and streamed on HBOMax.com with Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Allie LaForce on the call. Of course, you can opt to listen to Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray on the radio or streamed on uclabruins.com instead. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your UCLA men’s basketball vs. Arizona Wildcats game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream tonight’s game:
Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Series
Teams: #5 Arizona Wildcats (0-0) vs. #22 UCLA Bruins (0-0)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 64-51
When: 7:00 pm PT, Monday, November 2, 2026
Where: T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas, NV
TV: TNT & TruTV with Brian Anderson, Grant Hill and Allie LaForce
Live Stream: HBOMax.com and the HBOMax app
Radio/Audio
Local Radio: KABC AM 790 with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
Satellite Radio: SiriusXM Ch. 84 (UCLA Call)
Online: uclabruins.com
Live Stats: UCLA StatBroadcast
Game Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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Would love the officials to call a foul on Arizona, especially if their big is gonna full shove UCLA guys.
I’m willing to sacrifice a good basketball season for an awesome and historic football season this year. I still want an awesome basketball season though.