UCLA Women's Basketball Reveals Matchups With Purdue, Florida State
Two of the Bruins' premier nonconference showdowns have been revealed.
UCLA women's basketball announced Thursday that it would be opening up its 2023-2024 season at home against Purdue. That announcement came on the heels of the Basketball Hall of Fame Women's Showcase unveiling the field for its 10th annual event earlier Thursday, and the Bruins were made part of that group as well.
A month after tipping off the campaign against the Boilermakers on Nov. 6, UCLA will face Florida State on Dec. 10. South Carolina versus Utah and UConn versus North Carolina will be the other matchups that day at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut.
"The bottom line for us is that we feel like we're going to have a high-level team, and in order to realize that potential, you've got to play against the very best and high-level opponents," coach Cori Close said in a statement. "To have the national coverage as well as the great competition all in one place, not only does it help prepare us to be at our best, but it also helps grow the game. We're thrilled to be a part of it!"
The early season matchup against Purdue will mark a sneak peak into the future for UCLA, with the school set to move from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten in 2024.
UCLA and Purdue had a home-and-home in 2003 and 2004, with the Boilermakers earning the 58-57 home win in the first showdown. The Bruins got their revenge one year later back at Pauley Pavilion, emerging with a 70-64 victory.
The following season, the two sides met again at a neutral site as part of the 2006 NCAA tournament. No. 4 seed Purdue knocked No. 5 seed UCLA out in the Round of 32, and the teams have not met since.
The Boilermakers snapped a five-year NCAA tournament drought last March, but they lost in the First Four. Their recent struggles come immediately after they made 26 of 29 tournaments – a stretch that included eight trips to the Elite Eight, three Final Four bids and the 1999 national title.
As for the Invesco QQQ Women's Showcase, UCLA has extensive shared histories with most of the teams in the field – Utah, UConn and South Carolina chief among them. However, UCLA has never played Florida State, making December's matchup the first between the two.
The Seminoles got upset in the first round of the NCAA tournament in March. Florida State has made 17 of the last 19 tournaments, though, reaching the Sweet 16 five times and Elite Eight three times in that span.
The rest of UCLA's nonconference slate will likely be revealed towards the end of the summer.
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