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Fans may not be able to see the Bruins compete this weekend, but when they are welcomed back to Pauley Pavilion, they'll be treated with a much-anticipated top-tier showdown.

No. 3 UCLA men's basketball (10-1, 2-0 Pac-12) and No. 6 Arizona (12-1, 2-0) were initially scheduled to face off in Westwood back on Dec. 30, but the contest was called off due to COVID-19 issues on the Bruins' side. Many hoped the two could make up the game the following week once Stanford and Arizona State backed out of games against UCLA, but the conference schedule makers elected not to pit the two teams against each other at that time.

Finally, a date has been found for the Bruins and Wildcats to go head-to-head at Pauley Pavilion. The two teams will now play Jan. 25, almost four weeks after they were initially supposed to meet.

UCLA Athletics announced the general public will not be allowed at indoor sporting events through Jan. 21, which impacts the Bruins' upcoming games against Oregon and Oregon State. The rescheduled contest against Arizona will be the first game with fans back in the stands, barring an extension of the COVID-19 related policy.

The university is holding classes in an online-only format through Jan. 28, so the UCLA-Arizona game will still be played while students are restricted from going on campus for classes.

The Bruins still have to make up games they missed against Arizona State and Stanford, but like the date with the Wildcats, those will be determined by the Pac-12. The games that were called off with Alabama State, North Carolina and Cal Poly back in December are not in a position to be made up, with all schools now buried in conference play.

UCLA is playing Colorado on the road three days before its makeup game with Arizona, and it will host Cal two days after. The Bruins will therefore be playing four games in eight days to end the month, then they will have four days off before playing the Wildcats again in Tucson on Feb. 3.

Overall, UCLA has missed seven games as a result of COVID-19 protocols, and this will be the first to be officially made up. UCLA women's basketball has also had seven games called off, while UCLA men's volleyball missed its first three matches of the year and UCLA gymnastics had to back out of its season-opening meet.

The game between UCLA and Arizona will tip off at 8 p.m. and will be televised on ESPN.

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