The seventh-seeded UCLA Bruins (23-11) and 10th-seeded UCF Knights enter their 2026 NCAA Tournament East Regional first-round matchup with injury concerns. The teams with tipoff at 7:25 p.m. (ET) at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. What is the status of the players, and more importantly, who will advance to the second round?
UCLA and UCF Dealing With Key Injuries Ahead Of First Round NCAA Tournament Matchup
This matchup between UCLA and UCF is projected to be one of the best of Friday’s slate of games. UCLA, which finished sixth in the Big Ten and reached the conference tourney semifinals, comes into the contest having won six of its last eight. Meanwhile, UCF finished seventh in the Big 12 and is coming off a 22-point loss to Arizona in the Big 12 tournament, marking its seventh setback in 11 contests.
UCLA Bruins Looking To Make A Deep Run IN NCAA Tournament
UCLA is an outstanding offensive team that thrives in the half-court, excels at shooting, and is elite beyond the arc. The Bruins, led by senior point guard Taylor Dent, have five players averaging double-figures on the season. Overall, the Bruins average 78 points on 47.1% shooting and allow 71.0 points per contest. While the Bruins don’t make a ton of threes (8.0 per game), they knock down 38.2% of their attempts, which ranks 18th in the nation. They also don’t turn the ball over.
Defensively, UCLA is not a typical Mick Cronin team, ranking in the middle of the pack nationally at 107 points per 100 possessions. The Bruins do an excellent job defending the 3-point line, holding opponents to 8 treys per game at a 31.8% clip, but they struggle in the interior. The Bruins also struggle on the glass, getting outrebounded by one board a game on the season.
UCLA has had some pretty success in the NCAA Tournament under Cronin, who is 161-75 with the Bruins. This is the Bruins’ fifth NCAA tournament trip in the seven years that Cronin has been in Westwood. The Bruins have gotten to at least the Sweet 16 in three of the previous four trips, reaching the Final Four in the second year of his tenure. He is 9-4 overall in the NCAA tournament with the Bruins and 16-15 in his career.
“We’ve got to win two games,” Cronin told the Los Angeles Times earlier today. “My daughter goes to American [University.]I’ll see her Monday. But I would like to spend a week with her.”
The East Regional Finals will be played in Washington (DC), which is where American is located.
© Yannick Peterhans, Imagn Images
Bruins Injury Updates
UCLA did get some good news on the injury front yesterday. Leading scorer and second-leading rebounder Tyler Bilodeau (17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds) was upgraded to questionable after missing the Bruins’ last outing. He hurt his knee in the first half of the Bruins’ Big Ten tournament quarterfinal victory over Michigan State.
“Bilodeau suffered the leg injury after colliding with Michigan State’s Carson Cooper, according to Barkley Truax of On3. “Bilodeau limped off the court with help from UCLA’s training staff. He immediately went to the team’s locker room and did not return for the rest of the game. Now, it appears he’s trending toward making his return, but we won’t know for sure until closer to game time.”
If Bilodeau is cleared to play. He will likely be on a minutes restriction against UCF, per Andrew Ferguson of Sports Illustrated.
“He [Bilodeau] will likely get the starting nod but play limited minutes depending on how well UCLA can set the pace early,” Ferguson said.”If there is an opportunity for him to rest, Mick Cronin will likely send Bilodeau to the bench immediately. His impact will be needed in the later rounds for sure.”
Even better news, Dent isn’t on the injury report at all. Dent, who is playing some of his best basketball of the season, was limited to 10 minutes in the semifinal game against Purdue due to a calf injury.
“He’s got a calf strain that seems to feel great the last couple days,” Cronin said leading up to the first-round matchup. “I hope it doesn’t rear up on him. We’re going to need him at his best to make a run.”
UCF Knights
UCF is the complete opposite of UCLA in terms of style of play and form. The Knights love to push the pace and create chaos under coach Johnny Dawkins.
UCF is a good shooting team, connecting on 46.6% of its shots and averaging 81 points per contest. While not as proficient from beyond the arc as the Bruins, the Knights knock down nearly eight treys a game at a 36.2 clip. However, the Knights are at their best when they get out in transition and hit the offensive glass, averaging 12.5 offensive boards per contest. Riley Kugel, who averages two triples a contest, and Themus Fulks complement each other well in the backcourt and average 14 points apiece.
The Knights are a top 100 team offensively, but they struggle mightily defensively. The Knights allow 78.5 points as their opponents shoot 45.6% from the field and make 8.1 treys at a 34% clip. They outrebound opponents by 3.5 boards per game.
UCF also has a few players listed as questionable for tonight’s contest, though all three are expected to play. Jeremy Foumena, Jamichael Stillwell, and Kugel are the players on the injury report. Stillwell, the Knights’ leading rebounder (8.0), has been playing with two torn ligaments in his right ankle over the last month. Per Chris Boyle of the Daytona Beach Journal-News, the 6-8 senior had a walking boot on yesterday, though he was expected to start tonight.
Boyle also said that Kugel, who banged his knee on the scorer’s table against Cincinnati, and Foumena, who missed UCF’s final two regular-season games, were full participants in practice yesterday.
UCF is in the NCAA tournament for the second time under Dawkins, who is 189-131 with the Knights. Overall, the Knights are 1-5 in their previous NCAA tournament appearances.
