UCF Basketball Injuries To Watch For March Madness

The UCF men's basketball team has not made it through the 2025-26 unscathed.

While this is also the case with most college basketball teams, there can be a difference in exactly when and who the injury bug strikes. In the case of the Knights, it struck fairly late.

So, as the Knights prepare to hear their name called during the NCAA Tournament selection show for the first time since 2019, here are three UCF players to keep an eye on from an injury standpoint heading into March Madness.

1. John Bol

The Knights' tallest player, John Bol, has not missed a game this season, starting in every single one. However, he is at the top of this list because his ailment is the one the public knows the least about as of Saturday night.

During UCF's Big 12 quarterfinal game against Arizona, Bol came to the sidelines in the early goings of the second half out of breath, according to ESPN sideline reporter Kris Budden on the broadcast. It proceeded to show Bol communicating with trainers and pointing to his chest.

Bol returned to the game with 11:19 remaining in the half, but came off the court again 12 seconds later after recording his fourth foul and going down onto the court, initially on his hands and knees before rolling over onto his back. Budden said that he was experiencing chest pain that he'd had earlier in the game. While he attempted to walk to the locker room under his own power, the more steps he took, the more he leaned on trainers.

Bol did come back out of the locker room before the game was over and joined the team on the bench for the remainder of the game. Coach Johnny Dawkins said he saw Bol after the game, and he was "doing okay."

"I would think he'd be listed day-to-day as of right now, but he's up," Dawkins said. "He was moving, came back out, so we'll see. I'm just still making sure that everything is okay, but he seemed to be doing okay."

2. Riley Kugel

One of the Knights' leading scorers this season, Orlando native Riley Kugel, has missed just two games due to an injury, both of which turned out to be wins for UCF out in Utah.

Kugel ended up on the player availability report again on Thursday as a game-time decision after colliding with the scorer's table during the final seconds of the Knights' overtime win against Cincinnati. He ultimately ended up playing.

3. Jamichael Stillwell

Like Kugel, forward Jamichael Stillwell, UCF's leading rebounder, missed two games this season, both of which were losses: first against Iowa State on Jan. 20 and then against West Virginia on Mar. 6.

However, Stillwell ended up getting his ankle stepped on during the Knights' win against BYU, and ever since then, he's been a game-time decision. While his production initially seemed to have no drop-off, he has now hit an offensive lull.

During the Big 12 Tournament, Stillwell went five of 14 from the floor. Both games mark his most shots missed in a game this season. He has still been able to rebound the ball, recording figures above his average since his return.

Given his consistency on player availability reports for several, it cannot be ruled out that his injury is a nagging one. However, considering he's managed to play through it so far, only a setback during practice is likely to take him out of action for March Madness. The real question is just how much the injury could affect him once he takes the floor.

UCF, along with every other team selected for the 2026 NCAA Tournament, is set to submit player availability reports for every game of the tournament. The initial one is set for 9 p.m. venue time the night before the game, while the game-day one is submitted two hours before tip-off.

The Knights are set to find out who they play in their first game of March Madness on Selection Sunday night.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

UCF Bubble Watch: Why The Knights Deserve To Be In March Madness

UCF March Madness Tournament Projection: What Seed Will The Knights Get?

Two Things UCF Basketball Learned From Arizona Loss