Seventh-seeded UCLA defeated 10th-seeded UCF 75-71 in a first-round game of the 2026 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament on March 20, 2026, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1][2]
In the first half, with under two minutes remaining and the shot clock winding down, UCF center John Bol, a 7-foot-2 player, tapped a missed 3-pointer by UCLA guard Donovan Dent into his own basket. The own-basket increased UCLA's lead to 35-21. The two points were credited to UCLA but not attributed to any individual Bruin player.
Bol finished with two points on the night, matching the two points his mistake awarded to UCLA. He went 0-for-5 from the free-throw line.
UCLA guard Skyy Clark lost a front tooth during the game.
UCF rallied late, erasing a double-digit halftime deficit, but could not complete the comeback.
| Top Scorers | Points | Rebounds |
|---|---|---|
| UCF - Jordan Burks | 22 | 6 |
| UCF - Riley Kugel | 13 | - |
| UCF - Jamichael Stillwell | 10 | - |
| UCF - Themus Fulks | 10 | - |
| UCLA - Eric Dailey Jr. | 20 | 5 |
| UCLA - Trent Perry | 15 | - |
| UCLA - Xavier Booker | 15 | - |
UCLA advances to face No. 2 seed UConn in the second round on March 22, 2026, at 8:45 p.m. ET.
Sources
- Encyclopedia: Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia). Wikipedia. Stable reference page, accessed October 2024. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wells_Fargo_Center_(Philadelphia)
- NCAA: Men's Basketball Tournament. Official NCAA March Madness page. https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness
- UCLA Athletics: Men's Basketball. Official team site. https://uclaathletics.com/sports/mens-basketball
- UCF Athletics: Men's Basketball. Official team site. https://ucfknights.com/sports/mens-basketball
