No more March Madness for UCF as season comes to end with loss to UCLA in NCAA Tourney

PHILADELPHIA — There was no buzzer-beater, no bracket-buster or March Madness miracle.

Nothing that will steal away from this year’s One Shining Moment montage.

Quite simply, UCF found itself in an all-too-familiar situation: late offensive woes led to the Knights trailing by double digits throughout much of the game before losing to UCLA, 75-71, in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday.

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UCF pulled within three points with six seconds left, but UCLA held on for the win.

The Knights finished the season by losing five of their last six games.

Jordan Burks broke out of a shooting slump to lead UCF with 22 points, while Riley Kugel had 13 and Jamichael Stillwell had 10.

UCF (21-12) drops to 1-6 all time in NCAA Tournament appearances, with the only win coming against VCU in the 2018-19 season.

UCLA was without its top scorer, Tyler Bilodeau, who missed the game with a right knee injury, but Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points.

UCF was relentless on defense to open the game, forcing UCLA into poor shot selection as the Bruins missed their first seven shots from the floor. The Knights, meanwhile, pulled out to a quick 6-0 lead.

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The Bruins went on a 9-2 run to take their first lead of the game at 13-10 as Daily Jr. powered the Bruins with eight early points. UCLA extended that advantage to 18-12 as UCF turned the ball over six times in the first 10 minutes.

To make matters worse, the Knights went ice cold from the floor, failing to score a point for more than four and a half minutes midway through the first half.

UCLA didn’t waste the opportunity, pushing its lead to 24-12 with 8:50 left in the first.

It was the fourth consecutive game in which UCF fell behind by double digits.

Kugel’s free throw with 8:40 left was the first point by the Knights since the 13:52 mark.

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UCF’s long-distance shooting woes from the Big 12 tournament followed them into the NCAA Tournament. The Knights connected on just 13% (6 of 45) from 3-point…

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Publish date : 2026-03-21 02:34:00

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