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UCLA vs Arizona | NCAA Mens’ Basketball–Rivalries take time to build and this one has had decades. UCLA and Arizona are two of college basketball’s premier programs. Over the years the race for Pac-12 titles and the right to move to March madness has created high heat when they meet.
42 of the last 58 Pac-12 titles have gone to one of these teams. The intensity of their battles only increases.
Today we hear the magnitude of that rivalry from two who were in the middle of the spotlight.
Don MacLean played at UCLA from 1988 to 1992. They won the Pac-12 championship in the ’91-’92 season. He thrived on the rivalry.
Matt Muehlebach played at AZ from 1987 to 1991. His teams never lost a game at home. Ironically, that streak would be broken by UCLA and MacLean.
MacLean was a pot-stirrer, especially on the court. Listen to Matt talk about that while Don tells you how that went over with former UCLA coach John Wooden.
Matt speaks to what it was like to be on each of these raucous home courts when the two great basketball programs went head to head. He’ll tell you about the “offer the hand and take it back move” made by Don to one of Matt’s teammates.
Enjoy the story of an epic basketball rivalry through the memories of two who helped create it.
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If you loved this episode on UCLA vs Arizona, make sure to check out Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, and Episode 5 if you haven’t listened already.
