Los Angeles ? Ben Howland, who led Pittsburgh to the round of 16 in the NCAA Tournament, was hired as UCLA’s coach late Wednesday night.

Howland will be formally introduced on campus today, athletic director Dan Guerrero said.

“Ben Howland is an outstanding basketball coach, one of the best in the entire country, and he is the man we want to run our program,” Guerrero said in a statement. “He has built winning programs throughout his career and we expect that he will return UCLA basketball to the nation’s elite.”

Howland, 45, becomes the eighth coach at UCLA since John Wooden retired in 1975 after leading the Bruins to 10 national championships in a 12-year span.

Howland replaces Steve Lavin, who was fired March 17 after the Bruins went 10-19 for their first losing season in 55 years.

Howland, who grew up in Southern California, led Pitt from Big East doormat to national championship contender after his hiring in 1999. He has a 168-99 record in nine years as a head coach — five at Northern Arizona and the last four at Pitt.

“Having grown up in Southern California as a Bruin fan, watching the televised replays of the games was special for me,” Howland said in a statement. “To now be the head coach of this program is something I dreamed about but never thought possible. I have an appreciation for what these four letters mean in the world of college basketball.”