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Perhaps not as longstanding 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 championship score of Arizona’s one, in the 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 Bruins program. Although Arizona does not have the same story passes 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 field 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 shear number of Alumni going on to NBA careers, with UCLA fielding legends like Karem Abduljabar and Bill Walton. Arizona —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 the NCAA tournament appearances at 24, only three behind North Carolina’s record of 27.
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