Bill Walton frequently spoke in poetry – about basketball, life and – of course – the Grateful Dead.

On Sunday, Pauley Pavilion will finally get to write him back.

“For UCLA people, (Sunday) – the tribute – would be like our funeral,” said coach Mick Cronin. “Because he didn’t want a celebration of life. You have to respect people’s wishes. It’s unusual when somebody passes that you know well, there’s no funeral.”

So instead, Westwood will honor him the only way it can – with the game he loved, in the building he’ll never really leave.

The banners he earned will still hang, his No. 32 jersey will still loom in the rafters, and once more, the house that Walton helped define will be his again.

Eight months since the basketball world lost a legend and a luminary in Walton – who died May 27 because of colon cancer – UCLA men’s basketball (19-8, 10-6 Big Ten) will pay tribute to his legacy during its game against Ohio State (15-12, 7-9) on Sunday.

[Related: UCLA men’s basketball great Bill Walton dies at 71]

Billed as one of the greatest college basketball players of all time, Walton collected three Naismith Awards – which recognizes the country’s best player – and guided UCLA to two national championships under coach John Wooden.

Perhaps the most illustrious milestone of Walton’s UCLA career was his 1973 NCAA finals performance against Memphis State. He missed just one shot the entire night en route to a 44-point showing, alongside 13 rebounds, as the Bruins cut the nets for the ninth time in 10 years.

Walton’s status at UCLA was well-cemented before the Portland Trailblazers selected him first overall in the 1974 NBA Draft. He helped deliver the team its first title in 1977 and was named the league’s MVP in 1988.

While injuries hobbled the rest of Walton’s NBA career, he still managed to nab another championship with the Boston Celtics in 1986 while also earning Sixth Man of the Year.

“He will forever be an icon in our great game, and his memory will forever live on at UCLA,” Cronin said after Walton’s death.

Walton – who underwent nearly 40 orthopedic surgeries that permanently sidelined him from competing – was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1993.

But in time, the basketball world was treated to a side of Walton they hadn’t seen. The one now held in nostalgic reverence.

“The Big Redhead” was quickly hailed for his hyperbolic and unapologetically passionate speech as an NBA and college broadcaster for networks such as NBC, ESPN, CBS and the Pac-12 Network.

Walton’s offbeat and humorous approach was anything but conventional. He blended a palpable, unrestrained enthusiasm for basketball with unexpected tangents – often veering into discussions of music, science or whatever else came to mind. He eventually won an Emmy in 2001 for his work on air.

“My favorite memory would be my family reacting to him on the call, on the games,” said junior forward Tyler Bilodeau. “Just how happy he would be and stuff he would say. They would tell me after the game, ‘Bill Walton was saying some funny stuff on TV.’”

And Sunday’s game – one that could avert disgrace for both teams – is the kind Walton would’ve elevated with his trademark flair.

Westwood likely has no desire to revisit its Tuesday meltdown against Minnesota. Cronin didn’t mince words after a 9-for-19 free throw slump and a defensive breakdown, even pointing the finger at the home crowd.

And in case anyone’s forgotten, Cronin’s quest for career win No. 500 is still in motion.

[Related: On the brink of 500-win milestone, Mick Cronin reflects on coaching career]

“We got to stay strong on the defensive side, that’s been our identity,” said sophomore guard/forward Eric Dailey Jr. “That’s been our backbone of how we play this whole season. Defense is our number one thing, so when we see a lack in it, or we know we can be better in it, we’re going to address it.”

Meanwhile, Ohio State is on the brink of missing the Big Dance. Sitting 10th in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes need a late-season surge and deep run in the conference tournament to be called upon on Selection Sunday.

Fans attending Sunday’s contest can collect a commemorative poster that celebrates Walton’s life and legacy, while UCLA students will receive a tie-dyed T-shirt to pay homage to his “larger-than-life” personality.

Amid the stakes of the matchup and the significance of the affair, for the first day of the Bruins’ season, basketball won’t be just a game.

Because Walton never saw it as one. He spoke about it like a poet he never was and lived the sport like a believer.

On Sunday, shortly after noon, Pauley Pavilion will answer in kind.