UCF Knights March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent and Path to Final Four

For the first time in seven years, the UCF Knights men's basketball team is going dancing.

On Sunday evening, coach Johnny Dawkins and the Knights received a 10-seed and learned they are taking on the 7-seed UCLA Bruins on Friday at 7:25 p.m. in Philadelphia. UCF's seeding is one spot below its 9-seed from its 2019 NCAA Tournament appearance, but it still goes down as the second-highest seeding in program history.

Hear what coach Johnny Dawkins had to say about the Knights' seeding below:

Opponent

First Round: UCLA Bruins (23-11, 13-7 Big Ten)

UCF vs. UCLA in Philly on Friday 🥊 pic.twitter.com/Z1afYIMvlr
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 15, 2026

The Knights were matched up with 7-seed UCLA, marking the first meeting between the two programs. Though Dawkins has experience facing the Bruins from when he was the coach at Stanford from 2008 to 2016.

The Bruins are headlined by their leading scorer, and All-Big Ten Third Teamer, guard Tyler Bilodeau, who finished fifth in the conference in field goal percentage and led the team in defensive rebounds per game. UCLA also sports one of the nation's leading assisters in guard Donovan Dent, who is fourth in the nation. He's also recorded nine double-doubles and is fourth in the Big Ten in steals.

Both guards have had recent injuries, with Bilodeau missing UCLA's Big Ten Tournament semifinal game against Purdue. Dent, meanwhile, strained his calf during that same game and did not return to the court afterward. However, both are expected to play in the NCAA Tournament.

A program that made a name for itself under legendary coach John Wooden, the Bruins have won 11 national championships, though their last one came in 1995. This season marks their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in seven seasons under current coach Mick Cronin. Before moving out to Los Angeles, Cronin was the coach of Cincinnati, while Dawkins was getting settled in coaching at UCF from 2016 to 2019.

Hear what guard Themus Fulks and forward Jordan Burks had to say about the Knights' selection below:

Bracket and Path To the Final Four

NEW: The March Madness East Region is set🔥https://t.co/OnxHvknwzV pic.twitter.com/5OWaoLr23t
— On3 (@On3) March 15, 2026

The Knights ended up in the East Region of the bracket, which is led by 1-seed Duke, whom UCF played in an exhibition game on Oct. 21. However, they are on the opposite side of the bracket as the Blue Devils.

Should UCF come out victorious against UCLA, their second-round opponent would be the winner of 2-seed UConn and 15-seed Furman. The Huskies (29-5, 17-3 Big East) are coming off winning two national championships in the last three years. Meanwhile, the Paladins are no strangers to pulling off March Madness upsets with their last appearance in 2023 seeing them upset 4-seed Virginia in Orlando before losing to eventual runner-up San Diego State.

The Knights are also familiar with three other teams in the East Region: two Big 12 teams and one interstate rival. They beat both 4-seed Kansas, 81-75, and 9-seed TCU, 82-71, in Addition Financial Arena this season. Meanwhile, UCF has not faced 11-seed South Florida, a former conference-mate in The American, its elimination at the hands of the Bulls in the first round of the 2024 NIT.

Read more about UCF's NCAA Tournament run below:

UCF Basketball Injuries To Watch For March Madness

Best & Worst Case Scenarios for the UCF Knights on Selection Sunday

Two Things UCF Basketball Learned From Arizona Loss

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

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