UCLA Without a Home
The famed Pauley Pavilion is being renovated during the season, leaving UCLA without a home. Pauley needed some work and the university is spending the time (and money) to turn it into a state of the art facility without losing the history that makes Pauley Pavilion special. That is all well and good for the future, but what is UCLA to do this year?
There are certainly plenty of options near UCLA to play some games. The Bruins ended up with a majority of their home games at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena. That should still provide a decent home court advantage, except for the February 15th “home” game against USC. The Trojans can walk across the street. The Bruins did play there from 1959 to 1964. It was also home to the Lakers during much of the 1960’s. More recently, it was the home of the Clippers from 1984 to 1999 and the Trojans basketball team from 1959 to 2006. The Trojans will not need to go far to scout the Bruins this year. It is not too bad of a trip to the Los Angeles Sports Arena, but some students may not want to make the effort.
The trip nobody wants to make is to the Honda Center in Anaheim. The Bruins will play four home games at that venue. UCLA was smart enough to schedule three of those games on a Saturday. The Honda Center hosts some good basketball throughout the year, but it is not a very good place for a home court advantage. It’s too big for that…and a long way away from UCLA. Back when I lived in LA, I would avoid the dismal side of the Orange Curtain as much as possible as it was, but who would want to drive to Anaheim for an 8:00 tip on a weekday? Sure it might be a big game against Arizona, but that is some rough traffic on a Thursday night heading down the 405. Say goodbye to most of the student section for that one…and more so for those who have real jobs and have trouble getting there in time. This may be a good season for UCLA, but the lack of a true home court advantage will catch up to them sooner or later.
Read the in-depth men’s basketball preview for this team
