ILLINI BASKETBALL IN LA ON FEBRUARY 18 & 21, 2026

New Information about UCLA Pregame Party State Farm Center (Assembly Hall)

The Illinois Alumni Association and LA Illini Club have arranged a Pregame Party at Rocco's Tavern beginning at 2pm on Saturday, February 21.  This will be a great event to meet fellow Illini from all over the country while enjoying great food and drink.  Rocco's is about 3/4 of a mile walk from Pauley Pavilion which should take about 15 minutes.  AND, our SD Club bus will drop off party attendees at Rocco's before proceeding to Pauley.  There are still game tickets left but with the Illini highly ranked this game is likely to be a sellout, so act now!  Click here to see all about the pregame, and read below to learn about getting tickets and taking our comfortable bus right to the events without battling LA traffic.

When & Where?

USC - Wednesday, February 18, 2026 - 7:00PM - Galen Center

UCLA - Saturday, February 21, 2026 - 5:00PM - Pauley Pavillion

Your purchased game tickets have been Distributed

The LA Illini Club transmitted purchased tickets to the phone numbers provided.  Our San Diego Illini Club purchased over 70 tickets to the UCLA game.

Purchase Seats on the Bus to the UCLA Game Now!

We have chartered a 56-passenger bus to the UCLA game. There are still bus seats left for the UCLA game on a modern bus that has a toilet and many accessories including comfortable seats, outlets and a PA system. Purchase your seats now!  The price is $60 per person, for roundtrip transportation to Pauley Pavilion.  Here is the detailed information about the bus trip:

  • At noon on Saturday at Hazard Center Station, 7611 Hazard Center Dr, San Diego, CA 92108, the bus will depart for Del Mar.
  • At about 12:20 the bus will depart from the Park & Ride at 12791 Sorrento Valley Rd, San Diego, CA 92121 for Oceanside.
  • At about 12:40 the bus will depart from the Park & Ride, 978 Crouch St, Oceanside, CA 92054 for transit directly to Rocco's.
  • The bus should arrive at Rocco's about 2:30 depending on LA traffic.  It will then proceed to Pauley Pavilion and drop off any passengers not attending the pregame party.
  • Shortly after the game concludes (with an Illini victory) the bus will depart Paulley.  The return will make all of the same stops in reverse order.
  • All of the San Diego County pickup locations have plenty of free parking and easy access/egress from the freeways.
  • We have sold enough seats that we will have additional funds for drinks, snacks and other possible accoutrements.  This will be GREAT FUN!

How to PAY for the Bus

Payment can be made HERE to purchase seats on the bus.   You DO NOT have to have purchased game tickets through our Club to ride the bus.

How to Purchase Game Tickets Now

Additional tickets cannot be purchased via the Clubs.  If you still want to go to the games, tickets are available on line.  Our UCLA seats are Section 124, rows 11-14 (lower) and Section 226, rows 6-11.  Tickets near ours are limited and may be purchased at https://www.gofevo.com/event/Fightingilini2 or by going to a UCLA Bruins website.

For the USC game, Illini seats are in Sections 119 and 218.  You can go directly to the USC website to purchase tickets nearby.