Men’s Basketball Opens Season Against UCLA

NYIT men’s basketball is headed to Hollywood!

The Bears will open their 2018-2019 season with an exhibition game against UCLA at 13,800-seat Pauley Pavilion on October 27. The game will also be televised on the Pac-12 Networks. (Pacific-12 is a collegiate athletic conference that operates in the western United States participating in 24 sports at the Division I level.)

NYIT will sponsor a pregame reception for alumni, family, and other supporters near the campus in Los Angeles.

“We are thrilled to face UCLA, which allows our student-athletes to gain national exposure in a historic arena,” Head Coach Kevin Hamilton said. “We are always looking for opportunities to take our team to exciting venues and challenge the best competition. We expect to have three Division I opponents on our 2018-2019 schedule, including a pair of regular-season games.”

NYIT will put its 4-0 lifetime mark at California state schools on the line against UCLA. The Bears defeated host Cal State Bakersfield, 82-79, on January 2, 1980, en route to a Division II national title game appearance that season. They then posted consecutive wins at San Francisco State (68-58), Cal State East Bay (79-61) and Cal State Los Angeles (77-64) to open 1982-1983.

The Bruins went 21-12 overall and 11-7 in the Pac-12 in 2017-2018.

Hamilton has a longstanding relationship with UCLA coach Steve Alford, who enters his sixth season at the Bruins helm.

“The players appreciate facing the best competition we can schedule. And the exposure for the university will be invaluable,” said Hamilton.