Like UCLA, the Wildcats plan to enclose the outdoor plaza areas around the arena. They'll likely add more than the 70,000 square feet Pauley did, and won't close their doors during construction.

At Purdue, John Wooden was college basketball's best player. At UCLA, he was the best coach. The programs meet for the first time since 2000 Friday.

His statue is just outside Mackey Arena, and it was one of his UCLA championships teams that helped Purdue open the place back in 1967. The Bruins won on a last-second shot by one of their lesser ...