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PHILADELPHIA – UCLA has won more NCAA championships than any other program with 11, and North Carolina has been to more Final Fours than any other program with 20.
Along with Kentucky, Kansas, and Duke, they comprise the fabled five group of the most storied programs in college basketball history, and when they meet each other, the games always take on a greater aura than other matchups.
They are uniform games, as some call it. And Friday night at Wells Fargo Arena, the Tar Heels and Bruins will get together again, this time in the Sweet 16 of the East Region. And that topic - blue blood versus blue blood – was a hot one during media day Thursday.
“Just UNC versus UCLA is two big-time programs,” UNC junior forward Armando Bacot said. “And just for us to be able to meet in the Sweet 16, especially with all the history we have with that program, it's a great opportunity and we know a lot of people will be watching, too.”
Since 1975, when the NCAA expanded the tournament to allow a second team from conferences to participate, UNC has reached 30 Sweet 16s, more than anyone else, with UCLA having done so 21 times. So, the Bruins have been fantastic even since legendary coach John Wooden retired following the 1974-75 season.
As noted, UNC has been to the most Final Fours (20) with UCLA second with 18. Overall, Carolina is second all-time with 52 NCAA Tournament appearances, UCLA is fourth with 49. UNC is second in NCAA Tournament games played with 176, UCLA is fifth with 149. The Tar Heels are second with 128 NCAA Tournament wins, and would tie Kentucky with the all-time lead in victory Friday night, and the Bruins are fifth with 108.
And, UNC is second all-time with a .727 winning percentage in the big dance, while UCLA is third at .725.
They are as blue as blue bloods get, and the understanding and connections run deep.
“Growing up in my household, it was Dean Smith and Bob Knight, for my dad who was a high school coach and having read all Coach Smith's books,” UCLA Coach Mick Cronin said, referring to the late UNC legend as well as former Indiana coach. “But I know all about the Carolina way. So, I have great reverence for their program and the history of their program.”
The Tar Heels and Bruins have met twice in NCAA Tournament play, with Carolina losing, 78-55, in the 1968 national championship, a game that was played not far from UCLA’s campus at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Basketball legend Lew Alcindor, later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, scored 34 points and grabbed 16 rebounds that night for the Bruins.
Then in 1989, the Tar Heels, who were seeded second, defeated the seven-seeded Bruins, 88-81, in the second round in Atlanta. Kevin Madden led UNC with 22 points and Steve Bucknall added 19. Current Carolina assistant coach Jeff Lebo had 12 points and four assists that day. Hubert Davis, a freshman at the time, played five minutes without scoring.
Both teams are more focused about this matchup and what is on the line, though they can’t escape the reality that this is a laundry game.
“We're really just excited to have an opportunity to move on and play a great team,” UCLA senior Jules Bernard said. “We know their history. We know how good they are. We're just super excited to play and get another opportunity to play the game that we love against a great team, against great players, against a great coach that they have over there.
“Yes, the history is a lot of fun to talk about and think about, but in terms of the game, we're just super excited to play.”
Both teams are, as are many fans of the sport, its history, and lore.
