UCLA would prefer to play Ohio State on the football field in December, but it will be no small affair when they meet on the basketball court Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins are the second-ranked team in the country and Ohio State is two plays from being undefeated, according to UCLA coach Steve Alford.
They will play the first game of a doubleheader at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, the site of this year’s Pac-12 Tournament in March. The second game features traditional powers North Carolina and Kentucky.
Ohio State is the only team of the four in the CBS Sports Classic not ranked among the top seven in the nation, but Alford isn’t convinced the Buckeyes (8-2) don’t deserve it.