The UCLA Bruins men's basketball team will be facing off against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in early-season action from Pauley Pavilion on Wednesday night. The matchup will see the No. 9 Bruins, led by head coach Mick Cronin, attempting to stay undefeated against up-and-coming head man Soloman Bozeman in this game's coaching showdown.
Cronin, who's now in his eighth season with UCLA, picked up his second win of the year on November 6th in a 114-63 rout of North Florida. Riding the momentum from their ranked win over the Arizona Wildcats to open the 2026 campaign, Cronin has picked up his 164th win with the program and 529th for his career. This game will see him go for career number win 530.
On the other bench is Bozeman, who has been
the head coach at Arkansas-Pine Bluff since 2021, compiling a career record of 49-107. A former standout player for his hometown Little Rock Trojans, he earned Sun Belt Player of the Year honors in 2011, along with a First-team All-Sun Belt selection and AP All-American honorable mention for his spectacular final season of collegiate hoops.
Finishing his professional playing career, which he spent the majority of overseas in 2014, he began his career as an assistant coach at Abilene Christian before working his way up. Last season, the team overcame a tough nonconference start to finish with 13 wins, tied for the most under Bozeman, along with ten wins in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, having them tied for fourth.
That's the most since the 2018-2019 season. They're 0-2 so far this year, with losses at Arkansas and Baylor. They're not set to play a home game until December 16th.
This article originally appeared on UCLA Wire: The coaching matchup for UCLA-Arkansas Pine Bluff on Wednesday
