University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
UCLA
UCF
Men's Basketball to Face UCF on Friday in Philadelphia
March 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA โ The No. 7-seed Bruins (23-11) will compete against No. 10-seed UCF (21-11) in a first-round NCAA Tournament matchup this Friday evening at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Game time is set for 4:25 p.m. PT (7:25 p.m. ET). The winner of Friday's game will advance to face either No. 2-seed UConn or No. 15-seed Furman on Sunday in Philadelphia.
ย
This marks UCLA's fifth appearance at the NCAA Tournament in the last six seasons. Stretching back to the Bruins' 2012-13 season, this is UCLA's 10th trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last 14 seasons.
ย
GAME INFORMATION
Venue: Xfinity Mobile Arena (capacity: 20,478)
Friday's Game Time: 4:25 p.m. PT (7:25 p.m. ET)
Broadcast Network: TBS
Broadcast Talent: Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst), Evan Washburn (sideline)
Radio (UCLA Audio Network): AM 790 (KABC)
Radio Talent: Josh Lewin (play-by-play), Tracy Murray (analyst)
Sirius XM Channels: SiriusXM 211 or 204 and on the SiriusXM App
Live Stats: ucla.statbroadcast.com (link here)
ย
MOST RECENTLY, AS A TEAM
โข The Bruins have won six of their last eight games, heading into this Friday's contest against UCF.
โข UCLA enters the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7-seeded team for the second consecutive year.
โข UCLA has won 22 or more games for the fifth time in seven seasons under head coach Mick Cronin.
โข UCLA lost to Purdue, 73-66, in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament in Chicago last Saturday (March 14).
โข The Bruins concluded the regular season with a 13-7 record in Big Ten play for the second consecutive season.
โข UCLA has gone 12-0 in Big Ten play over the past two seasons against Oregon, Washington and USC.
โข The Bruins logged a 17-1 home record and compiled a 6-10 mark in their road and neutral-site games.
โข UCLA has posted a 9-4 record through nine games in February and March (4-3 in February, and 4-1 in March).
โข The Bruins rank No. 1 in the Big Ten in 3-point shooting and No. 6 in free throw percentage.
โข UCLA's assist-turnover ratio (1.84-to-1) as a team ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten, through Tuesday, March 17.
ย
INDIVIDUAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
โข For the second straight season, Tyler Bilodeau has earned third-team All-Big Ten Conference acclaim.
โข Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 27 of 31 games played, including 10 games with 20 or more points.
โข Donovan Dent has registered 10 or more assists in 10 games (and in four of the Bruins' last eight contests).
โข Dent ranked No. 4 in the nation (third in the Big Ten) in assists per game (7.7) through Tuesday, March 17.
โข Through the last eight games, Dent has totaled 76 assists and eight turnovers, averaging 14.1 points in that span.
โข Dent has totaled 127 assists and 21 turnovers (6-to-1 ratio) through the Bruins' last 15 games.
โข Through Tuesday, March 17, Tyler Bilodeau led all Big Ten players in 3-point percentage (46.4%, 64-for-134).
โข Trent Perry has averaged 14.5 points and shot 43.4 percent from the field in UCLA's last 15 contests.
โข Eric Dailey Jr. (11.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg) has scored 10 or more points in seven of UCLA's last eight games.
โข Five Bruins have averaged at least 11 points per game this season, led by senior Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 ppg).
ย
NCAA TOURNAMENT AT A GLANCE
โข The Bruins have advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 16 of the last 22 seasons (no tournament took place in 2020).
โข Under Coach Cronin, the Bruins have gone 10-4 in five trips to the NCAA Tournament (no tournament in 2020).
โข Last season, UCLA defeated No. 10-seed Utah State (72-47) and lost to No. 2-seed Tennessee (67-58).
โข UCLA last advanced to the tournament's "Sweet 16" in March 2023 as a No. 2 seed in the West Region.
โข The Bruins last played at Xfinity Mobile Arena against Villanova on Dec. 9, 2023 (UCLA lost, 65-56).
ย
EYEING THE OPPOSITION
โข This Friday night's game will mark the first-ever contest on the hardwood between UCLA and UCF.
โข UCF logged a 21-11 overall record and 9-9 mark in Big 12 Conference play this season.
โข UCLA faced UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins when he served in the same capacity at Stanford (2009-2016).
โข Bruins' head coach Mick Cronin has registered an all-time mark of 10-2 against UCF (from his time at Cincinnati).
ย
THANKS FOR THE ASSIST
โข Donovan Dent ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten and No. 4, nationally, with 7.6 assists per game (through Tuesday, March 17).
โข Dent tallied 10 or more assists in three straight games (Jan. 31-Feb. 7) midway through Big Ten play.
โข Dent (12 pts, 10 rebs, 12 assists) recorded the fifth double-double on record at UCLA last Friday against Rutgers.
โข Dent's 15 assists against Illinois and Minnesota stand one shy of Earl Watson's record (16, on March 18, 2000).
โข Dent currently ranks No. 3 (with 250 assists) on UCLA's single-season assists record list.
โข Over UCLA's last 15 games, Dent has averaged 14.1 points, 3.6 rebounds and 8.5 assists per game.
ย
VERSUS RANKED FOES
UCLA has gone 4-6 against top-25 ranked opponents this season (as ranked in the AP poll), including a trio of home victories over top-10 teams. UCLA defeated No. 4 Purdue on Tuesday, Jan. 20, before recording a 95-94 overtime win against No. 10 Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 21, and logging the 20-point win at home on Tuesday, March 3, over No. 9 Nebraska. This marks the first season in which the Bruins have tallied three or more wins at home against top-10 ranked teams. UCLA's 72-52 win over No. 9-ranked Nebraska marked the Bruins' first 20-point win over a top-10 program since taking down No. 10-ranked Arizona in the final home contest of the 2010-11 season (Feb. 26, 2011).
ย
TWENTY VICTORIES
The Bruins have won 20 or more contests in seven of the past 10 seasons. Stretching back through the decades, UCLA has won 20 or more games in 55 seasons (including 48 times in the last 60 years, 1967 through 2026). The Bruins won at least 20 games in 17 consecutive seasons from 1966-67 through 1982-83. UCLA had an impressive 205-5 overall record during a seven-season stretch from 1966-67 through 1972-73.
ย
UCLA'S NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY
The Bruins' program is making its 54th appearance at the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. UCLA has won 11 NCAA championships (most recently in 1995) and has advanced to 19 Final Fours (most recently in 2021). The Bruins have totaled 23 appearances at the Elite Eight (Regional Finals) and 38 trips to the Sweet 16 (Regional Semifinals). UCLA has compiled an all-time tournament record of 116-46. The Bruins have posted a 56-29 record and have secured 17 trips to the tournament's Sweet 16 since the field expanded to include 64 teams in 1985.
ย
THE OPENING WEEKEND
Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to include at least 64 teams in 1985, the Bruins have played 52 games during the opening week/weekend (first/second round contests). UCLA has gone 41-11 in those 52 games, advancing to the Sweet 16 in 17 tournaments. The Bruins have gone 23-6 in the first round (this doesn't include any First Four contests). The Bruins lost in the First Four in 2018 and won a First Four matchup in 2021. Most recently, UCLA went 1-1 during the tournament's opening week last season (2025, in Lexington, Ky.). The Bruins defeated 10-seed Utah State and lost to 2-seed Tennessee.
ย
COACH CRONIN, MARCH MADNESS
In seven seasons as UCLA's head coach, Mick Cronin has guided the Bruins to five NCAA Tournaments. At the conclusion of his first season (2019-20), the NCAA Tournament was canceled as UCLA had compiled a 19-12 record heading into the Pac-12 Tournament as the No. 2-seeded team. Coach Cronin's teams have gone 10-4 in four prior NCAA Tournament appearances at UCLA, with one Final Four appearance (2021) and three Sweet 16 berths (2021, 2022 and 2023). UCLA's NCAA Tournament run in 2021 took place in Indianapolis, with the Bruins advancing from the First Four to the Final Four.
ย
THE 2025-26 BRUINS
UCLA's 15-man roster includes seven players who have competed at the NCAA Tournament in previous seasons, with Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark, Eric Dailey Jr., Trent Perry and Jack Seidler having seen action in last year's tournamnet (at Kentucky's Rupp Arena). Xavier Booker (previously at Michigan State) and Donovan Dent (previously at New Mexico) competed in the NCAA Tournament prior to transferring into UCLA. Last season, Skyy Clark shot 8-for-15 from 3-point distance (53.3) in games against Utah State (win, 72-47) and Tennesse (loss, 67-58) in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament.
ย
AGAINST THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
The Bruins have compiled a 4-8 record against 10 teams that advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Looking at the breakdown of teams within the Big Ten Conference, UCLA went 4-6 โ that includes Iowa (0-1), Illinois (1-0), Michigan (0-1), Michigan State (1-1), Nebraska (1-0), Ohio State (0-1), Purdue (1-1), Wisconsin (0-1). Non-conference opponents headed to the Big Dance, who UCLA faced, include Arizona (0-1) and Gonzaga (0-1). Of the teams that UCLA faced this season, Arizona (32-2) and Michigan (31-3) earned the highest seeds in the year's tournament field (No. 1 seeds).
ย
BIG TEN CONFERENCE PROGRAMS
UCLA is one of nine programs from the 18-team Big Ten Conference to have advanced to the NCAA Tournament. Joining the No. 7-seed Bruins are No. 1-seed Michigan (31-3), No. 2-seed Purdue (27-8), No. 3-seed Illinois (24-8), No. 3-seed Michigan State (25-7), No. 4-seed Nebraska (26-6), No. 5-seed Wisconsin (24-10), No. 8-seed Ohio State (21-12) and No. 9-seed Iowa (21-12). Should UCLA advance, the earliest in which the Bruins could face a Big Ten team would be in the Sweet 16 (Michigan State). Both Michigan State and Ohio State have joined UCLA in the bracket's East Region.
ย
CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT WINNER
Purdue defeated Michigan, 80-72, to capture the Big Ten Tournament title on Sunday, March 15. Purdued defeated UCLA, 73-66, in the semifinals on the afternoon of Saturday, March 14, to move into this year's tournament championship game. The Boilermakers knocked off Northwestern and Nebraska on consecutive days to move into the semifinal showdown against UCLA last weekend.
ย
GLANCING AT THE EAST REGION
UCLA has faced two of the other 15 teams in this year's East Region โ No. 3-seed Michigan State and No. 8-seed Ohio State. The Bruins went 1-1 against Michigan State, losing to the Spartans in mid-February (road game on Tuesday, Feb. 17) before taking down Michigan State last week (88-84) at the Big Ten Tournament. UCLA lost to Ohio State in a road contest, 86-74, on Saturday, Jan. 17. UCLA and No. 13-seed Cal Baptist are the only West Coast teams in the East Region.
ย
NOTES ON UCLA VERSUS UCF
โข The Bruins have never faced UCF in a men's basketball game.
โข UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins served as Stanford's head coach from 2008-09 through 2015-16. During that eight-yera span, UCLA recorded a 12-4 record against the Cardinal (under Coach Dawkins).
โข UCF joined the Big 12 Conference prior to the 2023-24 season after having the past 10 years competing in the American Athletic Conference (AAC). UCLA and UCF had two common opponent this seasons, Arizona and Arizona State.
ย
NOTES ON UCLA VERSUS UCONN
โข The Bruins have won the only previous meeting against UConn, recording an 102-96 win under head coach Jim Harrick in the 1995 NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight. Toby Bailey had 26 points and Tyus Edney totaled 22 points and 10 assists.
โข UCLA's win in 1995 over UConn propelled the Bruins to the Final Four. The Bruins defeated Oklahoma State (74-61) in the national semifinals, before taking down Arkansas (89-78) to secure their 11th all-time NCAA men's basketball title.
ย
NOTES ON UCLA VERSUS FURMAN
โข The Bruins have never faced off against Furman.
โข UCLA last competed against a team from the Southern Conference during the 2013-14 season. The Bruins defeated Chattanooga, 106-65, in a non-conference game played in Pauley Pavilion on Nov. 24, 2013.
ย
RUNNING THE POINT
Senior Donovan Dent has averaged 13.5 points, 7.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds in 33 games. Dent, a 6-foot-2 guard from nearby Riverside, Calif., transferred from New Mexico to UCLA in the offseason. He has recorded nine point-assist double-doubles this season (totaling 16 in his career). Since assists were routinely tracked, starting in 1978-79, Dent has become the first UCLA player with three consecutive point-assist double-doubles (UCLA's games versus Indiana, Rutgers and Washington). He ranks No. 3 in the Big Ten in assists per game (7.6) and was fourth, nationally, through Tuesday, March 17.
ย
Dent could be on track to join a rare group of UCLA guards who averaged at least 10 points and six assists per game over the course of a full season. He could become UCLA's first player to average 10 points and seven or more assists in one season since then-freshman Lonzo Ball registered 14.6 points and 7.6 assists per game in 2016-17. Ball helped guide UCLA to a 31-5 overall record that season and a finish in the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16.
ย
FACTS AND FIGURES
โข Tyler Bilodeau entered this week ranking No. 12 in scoring in the Big Ten Conference (17.6 ppg).
โข Bilodeau has scored in double figures in 27 of 31 games played, totaling 20 points or more in 10 games.
โข Bilodeau has totaled 993 points in two seasons at UCLA, averaging 15.5 points in 66 games in the Bruins' uniform.
โข Skyy Clark and Eric Dailey Jr. have each reached the 1,000 career point benchmark in the past month.
โข Donovan Dent has totaled 76 assists and eight turnovers in UCLA's last eight games.
โข UCLA has posted a 19-3 record when leading at halftime and has gone 20-1 when building a lead of 10 or more points.
โข UCLA ranked No. 1 in the Big Ten among all 18 teams, in 3-point percentage through Tuesday, March 17 (38.2%).
โข The Bruins have not shot 37.0% or better (from three) since the 2020-21 season (37.2 percent from three, that year).
โข The Bruins are currently shooting 76.7 percent at the free throw stripe, ranking sixth in the Big Ten.
โข The school single-season record for best free throw percentage is 75.6 percent, back in the 1978-79 season.
ย
LEADING SCORER
Senior forward Tyler Bilodeau ranked No. 12 in scoring among all Big Ten players (17.6 ppg) and No. 4 in shooting percentage (51.8%), through Tuesday, March 17. The 6-foot-9 product from Kennewick, Wash., has scored at least 15 points this season in 21 of the Bruins' 34 games (he did not play in two games). Through Tuesday, March 17, he continued to lead the Big Ten in 3-point shooting percentage, having made 64 of 138 long-range attempts (46.4%). Bilodeau was honored as a first-team NABC All-Pacific District on Tuesday (March 17) along with teammate Donovan Dent.
ย
LEADING REBOUNDER
Junior forward Eric Dailey Jr. (11.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg) enters the NCAA Tournament this week as UCLA's leading rebounder. He has totaled four double-doubles, including a pair of double-doubles last week in a win over Michigan State (14 points, 10 rebounds and four steals) and a semifinal loss to Purdue (11 points, 10 rebounds). Now in his second season at UCLA, Dailey Jr. has averaged 11.4 points in 66 career games with the Bruins. Dailey Jr. scored a season-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting in UCLA's 95-94 win over No. 10 Illinois on Saturday, Feb. 21.
ย
SOPHOMORE JUMP
Sophomore Trent Perry scored a career-best 30 points in UCLA's 71-60 win at Penn State on Jan. 14. Perry was perfect at the free throw line (12-for-12). Entering this Friday's game, he has averaged 12.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game (33 contests) while shooting 44.6 percent from the field and 41.2 percent from 3-point range. He has scored at least 10 points in 22 games for UCLA, logging 96 assists and 44 turnovers for an assist-turnover ratio of 2.2-to-1. Over the Bruins' last 15 contests, Perry has averaged 14.5 points and 3.3 rebounds while shooting 40 percent from 3-point range.
ย
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES ON UCLA
โข This marks the first season since 2016-17 (Bryce Alford, Isaac Hamilton and TJ Leaf) in which UCLA's team has had at least three players with a 30-point contest. The Bruins have four players this season who have scored at least 30 points or more in one game (Tyler Bilodeau, Skyy Clark, Donovan Dent and Trent Perry). Since at least 1973-74, this year's UCLA team is the only squad with at least four players who have scored 30 or more points in a game.
โข UCLA has gone 8-1 when shooting at least 50 percent. The season-high 62.7 percentage in a win at home against Presbyterian was the program's best single-game mark since Dec. 10, 2016 (62.7%, 102-84 home win, over Michigan).
โข Senior guard Donovan Dent has averaged 7.6 assists per game in 33 contests this season. Since assists were routinely recorded at UCLA, starting in 1973-74, only three student-athletes have logged at least 7.0 assists per game in one season (Pooh Richardson, twice, as well as Lonzo Ball in 2016-17 and Larry Drew II in 2012-13).
โข The Bruins' 15-man roster this season includes eight student-athletes who are from the Southern California region. All 15 student-athletes are from the United States. Looking at the eight local players, five are from Los Angeles County and three are from Riverside County (Donovan Dent, Eric Freeny and Anthony Peoples Jr. all went to Corona Centennial HS).
โข Since the start of the 2020-21 season, the Bruins have gone 82-37 in conference play (logging a 68.9 win percentage). UCLA went 13-7 in Big Ten action last season (T-4th) and 13-7 this season (T-6th) in the 18-team league standings.
โข UCLA led all Big Ten programs in fewest points allowed (per game) last season (65.2 ppg). This season, UCLA ranks No. 8 in the Big Ten in scoring defense, having limited the opposition to an average of 71.0 points per game.
โข The Bruins have averaged 77.0 points per game, on offense, UCLA's highest per-game scoring average since 2018-19. The team's 77.0 points per game is the highest per-game averaged under seventh-year UCLA head coach Mick Cronin.
โข UCLA currently has four players shooting at least 40 percent from 3-point range. The Bruins' team percentage from three (38.2%) is UCLA's best 3-point percentage since shooting 40.6 percent from long distance in 2016-17.
ย
CONSECUTIVE THREE-POINTERS
UCLA has made at least one 3-pointer in each of its last 98 games. The Bruins went 0-for-6 from long range in a 78-58 win against Long Island University early in the 2023-24 season in Pauley Pavilion (on Nov. 15, 2023). That game snapped a streak of 792 consecutive contests with at least one made 3-pointer by UCLA. That 3-point streak began after the Bruins finished 0-for-14 from 3-point distance in a home loss to No. 2 Stanford (78-63) on Feb. 3, 2000. The Bruins' single-game 3-point record stands at 19 made 3-pointers (going 19-for-31) in an 104-89 win at Colorado on Jan. 12, 2017.
ย
ADDITIONAL NOTES ON COACH CRONIN
โข Head coach Mick Cronin has guided the program to an overall mark of 161-75, now in his seventh year at UCLA.
โข In four NCAA Tournament trips, Coach Cronin has led the Bruins to a 10-4 record.
โข Coach Cronin earned Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2020 (his first year at UCLA) and 2023 (his fourth year).
โข Coach Cronin has led his teams to at least 20 wins in 16 of 23 total seasons as a college head coach.
โข Coach Cronin's teams have averaged 24.8 victories per season over the last 16 years (2010-11 through 2025-26).
โข Coach Cronin has twice led his teams to 31 victories (2022-23 at UCLA, and in 2017-18 at Cincinnati).
ย
