perhaps not as long standing as some of
the other rivalries the intensity
between the University of Arizona and
UCLA has certainly heated up in the past
20 years while there is no question that
UCLA’s 11 national championships dwarf
Arizona’s one in recent years the two
squads have been much more evenly
matched UCLA took home its eleventh
championship in 1995 under coach Jim
Harrick but this was the first in 20
years for the Bruns program although
Arizona does not have the same storied
past as UCLA in 1997 the Wildcats won
their first NCAA championship after
making it to their third Final Four in
under just ten years uncommon from most
basketball fueled rivalries Arizona and
UCLA is not intensified by proximity in
fact it is the two school success in the
pac-10 conference that powers this
competition the two squads battle it out
consistently for the top record in the
conference both schools ranked near the
top in the sheer number of alumni going
on to NBA careers with UCLA fielding
legends like Kareem abdul-jabbar and
Bill Walton Arizona boasts some of the
NBA’s best talent of more recent years
including richard jefferson and gilbert
arenas and interestingly enough UCLA
legend Bill Walton son Luke Walton it
may seem as if UCLA still holds the
upper hand over Arizona however a very
interesting note is that as of 2008
Arizona holds the record for longest
active streak of NCAA tournament
appearances at 24 only three behind
North Carolina’s record of 27
the other rivalries the intensity
between the University of Arizona and
UCLA has certainly heated up in the past
20 years while there is no question that
UCLA’s 11 national championships dwarf
Arizona’s one in recent years the two
squads have been much more evenly
matched UCLA took home its eleventh
championship in 1995 under coach Jim
Harrick but this was the first in 20
years for the Bruns program although
Arizona does not have the same storied
past as UCLA in 1997 the Wildcats won
their first NCAA championship after
making it to their third Final Four in
under just ten years uncommon from most
basketball fueled rivalries Arizona and
UCLA is not intensified by proximity in
fact it is the two school success in the
pac-10 conference that powers this
competition the two squads battle it out
consistently for the top record in the
conference both schools ranked near the
top in the sheer number of alumni going
on to NBA careers with UCLA fielding
legends like Kareem abdul-jabbar and
Bill Walton Arizona boasts some of the
NBA’s best talent of more recent years
including richard jefferson and gilbert
arenas and interestingly enough UCLA
legend Bill Walton son Luke Walton it
may seem as if UCLA still holds the
upper hand over Arizona however a very
interesting note is that as of 2008
Arizona holds the record for longest
active streak of NCAA tournament
appearances at 24 only three behind
North Carolina’s record of 27
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