How to Watch UCF In March Madness: Tip-off Time, TV Channel, Injury Report, Projected Starting Lineup and Odds
In this story:
Venue: Xfinity Mobile Center (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
Opponent: 7-seed UCLA Bruins (23-11, 13-7 Big Ten)
Tip-off: Friday, Mar. 20, 7:25 p.m. EST
TV/Streaming: TBS (Play-by-Play: Andrew Catalon, Analyst: Steve Lappas, Sideline: Evan Washburn)
Radio: FM 96.9 FM / AM 740 and Varsity Network app (Play-by-Play: Marc Daniels, Analyst: Taylor Young)
Live Twitter/X Updates: @itsBrysonTurner and @UCFKnightsOnSI
Odds: UCLA is a 5.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series History: This game marks the first meeting between the Knights and Bruins.
Injury Report
.@UCF_MBB’s initial player availability report for the first round of @MarchMadnessMBB lists three players as questionable:
— UCF Knights On SI (@UCFKnightsOnSI) March 20, 2026
- G Riley Kugel
- F Jamichael Stillwell
- C Jeremy Foumena
Meanwhile, UCLA has listed Tyler Bilodeau as questionable, though he has been previously… pic.twitter.com/opEpLZyC7d
Despite being previously reported as expected to be available last week, UCLA's Tyler Bilodeau was still designated as "questionable" the night before tip-off.
As for the Knights, three of their players were designated "questionable." Center John Bol was not among them, which comes after saying he felt "good" during a Thursday press conference.
Forward Jamichael Stillwell has been a mainstay on player availability reports during this last leg of the season and has still gone on to play. So, barring any setbacks, that still seems to be the case.
As for guard Riley Kugel, he joins Stillwell as getting designated "questionable" after hitting the scorer's table in the final seconds of the Knights' Big 12 Tournament victory over Cincinnati. Considering Kugel still played in the following game against Arizona, he should be good to go on Friday night as well, barring setbacks.
On the bench, center Jeremy Foumena missed UCF's final two regular-season games with an ankle injury, but just like Stillwell and Kugel, he went on to play during the Big 12 Tournament.
The game's final player availability report releases two hours before tip-off at 5:25 p.m.
Projected Starting Lineups
#10 UCF | #7 UCLA |
|---|---|
Themus Fulks | Donovan Dent |
Riley Kugel | Skyy Clark |
Jordan Burks | Trent Perry |
Jamichael Stillwell | Eric Dailey Jr. |
John Bol | Tyler Bilodeau |
The Knights' two main sources of production off the bench are guard Chris Johnson and forward Devan Cambridge. Guard Carmelo Pacheco serves as the team's three-point specialist off the bench and could end up seeing the court just as much as or a little less than Johnson and Cambridge.
Since his injury, Foumena has yet to see significant minutes, and if it is still nagging him, that could still be the case on Friday night. However, if he has recovered enough to play at full strength, he has shown that he can be a presence down low on both ends of the court.
Should Foumena still not be 100%, expect to see a few minutes from center Elijah Hulsewe, who saw an uptick in production over the last three weeks, thanks to that injury.
As for the Bruins, their bench is led by big man Xavier Booker, who has stepped in to start on many occasions this season and is the team leader in blocks. Guard Jamar Brown has a similar rebounding average to starter Trent Perry despite playing for over 400 fewer minutes.
Rounding out the UCLA bench players with significant time are Brandon Williams, Eric Freeny, and Steven Jamerson II, the latter of whom has gone 22-30 from the floor with 20 steals despite averaging only nine minutes per game.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Knights March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent and Path to Final Four
UCF Basketball Injuries To Watch For March Madness
A UCF Knights March Madness History: Record, Titles, Best Highlights
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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