Wildcat Blue Nation
Fansided

All Eyes are Now on Kentucky vs. UCLA

By Frank Spencer

Dec 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) shoots the ball against the UCLA Bruins at Rupp Arena. UCLA defeated Kentucky 97-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 3, 2016; Lexington, KY, USA; Kentucky Wildcats forward Derek Willis (35) shoots the ball against the UCLA Bruins at Rupp Arena. UCLA defeated Kentucky 97-92. Mandatory Credit: Mark Zerof-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Kentucky Basketball advanced to the Sweet Sixteen on Sunday. A marquis matchup against the UCLA Bruins awaits.

After a fun filled weekend full of great basketball, the Sweet Sixteen is set. Kentucky Basketball will be slated to take on the UCLA Bruins in a rematch from earlier in the season.

The Kentucky/UCLA contest will surely be the most talked about game of the round due to the rich history of the two programs.

Furthermore, the Bruins defeated the Wildcats at Rupp Arena 97-92 back on December 3. This time, the rematch will draw attention from media outlets all over the country. It will be the most anticipated game of the Sweet Sixteen.

The History of the Matchup

To start,  Kentucky is 7-6 all time versus the UCLA Bruins. The Wildcats, unfortunately, have lost two in a row now to Coach Steve Alford and company. John Calipari will definitely have his hands full due to the fact that the Bruins boast their fair share of talented freshman. As if Kentucky didn’t already know from their defeat earlier in the season, they will need to put the ball in the basket to pull out a victory.

Also, in a matchup of the two storied franchises, the duo of teams tally a total of 19 National Titles. Head to head, The Cats and Bruins have played each other 13 times since their first meeting in 1951. Throughout the years, the game has been played seven total times when both teams will have been ranked in the top 25. Friday will make the eighth. Due to TV coverage conflicts, tip-off is at 9:40 pm ET from FedEx Forum in Memphis.

The Sweet Sixteen

Here are the matchups for the 2017 Sweet Sixteen:

East Region

(8) Wisconsin vs. (4) Florida

(3) Baylor vs. (7) South Carolina

West Region

(1) Gonzaga vs. (4) West Virginia

(11) Xavier vs. (2) Arizona

Midwest Region

(1) Kansas vs. (4) Purdue

(3) Oregon vs. (7) Michigan

South Region

(1) North Carolina vs. (4) Butler

(2) Kentucky vs. (3) UCLA

As one could tell, there isn’t ton of firepower matchups in this round but, Kentucky and UCLA pack a pretty big punch.

Next: Reminiscing About The Kentucky Teams of The Late 90's

Also, look for the Wildcats to get a lot of negativity thrown their way as the Lonzo Ball fiasco caused by his father will officially take over our newsfeeds.

*All-Time Kentucky/UCLA records derived from BigBlueHistory.net

Home/Kentucky basketball