UCLA Hoops Moving To Sports Arena

While UCLA’s Pauley Pavilion gets a facelift, the Bruins’ men’s basketball team will move out of Westwood and take up residency at the downtown Los Angeles Sports Arena and other venues.

The Bruins men will play 14 regular season games at the Sports Arena and four others at the Honda Center in Anaheim. One exhibition game will be played at Citizens Business Bank Arena in nearby Ontario. The women’s team will remain on campus, playing at the Wooden Center.

The Wooden Classic will take place at Honda Center, with one game between UCLA and Arizona Jan. 5 instead of the traditional two doubleheaders between four teams.

UCLA considered moving in to The Forum in Inglewood, but the arena became unavailable after it was sold to Madison Square Garden Entertainment.

The Sports Arena was the Bruins’ home court from 1959-65 before moving in to Pauley Pavilion on the UCLA campus. Pauley is expected to re-open in time for the 2012-13 college basketball season.