ORLANDO — The East region is loaded with college basketball’s traditional bluebloods, including the UCF Knights’ first-round opponent, 11-time national champion UCLA.
Tenth-seeded UCF (21-11) will square off with the Bruins (23-11) in an opening-round NCAA Tournament matchup at 7:25 p.m. on March 20 at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia.
By contrast, UCF will make just its sixth March Madness appearance since joining Division I in 1984-85. Johnny Dawkins coached the Knights to their last trip to the Big Dance back in 2019.
Buy UCF NCAA tournament tickets vs. UCLA
“You can never take these opportunities for granted,” Dawkins said about an hour after his team learned its tournament destination on Selection Sunday. “I’m definitely happy for my team, my staff, trainers, doctors, athletic director, deputy athletic director; you name anyone that’s in our organization, our family, I’m very, very happy for everyone.”
UCF survived four defeats in its final five games, the lone exception being a late comeback and overtime triumph over Cincinnati in the second round of the Big 12 tournament, to secure the No. 10 seed in the East. The Knights went 9-9 during the regular season in one of the country’s toughest conferences, notching three ranked wins (Kansas, Texas Tech, BYU).
Fifth-year senior point guard Themus Fulks set the school’s all-time, single-season record for assists with 214 and counting. Orlando native Riley Kugel, who played NCAA Tournament games for Florida and Mississippi State, leads the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game.
As a team, UCF scores 81 points per game and shoots 36.2% from 3-point range, a figure that took a sizable dent after a 6-for-45 combined showing across its Big 12 tournament contests versus Cincinnati and Arizona.
But, what about the Bruins? Let’s learn a little bit about UCF’s upcoming opponent, which earned a No. 7 seed after reaching the Big Ten tournament semifinals.
Johnny Dawkins, Mick Cronin have met 6 times before
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin is no stranger to UCF fans, thanks to a 13-year run at Cincinnati. He and Dawkins matched wits in the American Conference on six occasions.
UCF won two of those meetings, including the last one — a 58-55 victory over the then-No. 20 Bearcats that essentially cemented its at-large candidacy for the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
Cronin took Cincinnati to nine straight NCAA Tournaments, and he’s brought the Bruins there five times in his seven years in charge, including a Final Four run in 2021. Overall, the 54-year-old has a lifetime record of 526-246, a .681 winning percentage across 23 years.
“Just toughness, and the ability to defend and rebound, have been hallmarks of what he’s done at Cincinnati, and I’m sure he’s doing something similar at UCLA,” Dawkins said. “I haven’t seen them out there, of course, but I don’t think he would trade that or change anything because he’s been very successful at what he’s done.”
UCLA top scorer Tyler Bilodeau suffered knee injury in Big Ten tournament
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau, the Bruins’ leading scorer at 17.6 points per game, exited in the first half of his team’s quarterfinal win over Michigan State with what was described as a “mild right knee strain.” He did not play the next night against Purdue but is expected to be available for the NCAA Tournament.
Bilodeau’s leg buckled while defending Michigan State’s Carson Cooper in the post. He was helped off the court after the non-contact injury and spent the second half on the sidelines with his knee wrapped.
Bilodeau shot a career-best 46.4% from 3-point range and grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game during the regular season.
Donovan Dent ranks 3rd in Division I in assists per game
Friday’s matchup will feature two of the top distributors in college basketball; Fulks ranks 11th nationally in assists per game (6.7), while UCLA senior Donovan Dent is third (7.8).
Dent, who spent the previous three years at New Mexico, dished out 24 dimes with just four turnovers in UCLA’s Big Ten tournament wins over Michigan State and Rutgers. However, he was limited to 10 minutes versus Purdue due to a strained calf.
Five players score in double figures on a nightly basis for the Bruins: Bilodeau, Dent (13.5 ppg), Trent Perry (12.7), Skyy Clark (11.7) and Eric Dailey Jr. (11.3). UCLA ranks 14th in the country in 3-point shooting (38.3%) and 38th at the free throw line (76.6%).
UCF vs UCLA prediction: March Madness first round
Chris Boyle: UCLA 83, UCF 75
Chris Vinel: UCLA 78, UCF 69
(This story has been updated to add the correct time after UCF previously released a incorrect graphic.)
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: UCF basketball vs UCLA prediction: Our pick for 2026 NCAA bracket first round
Reporting by Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
