5 Things Bruins Fans Should Know About UCF

UCLA begins play in the NCAA Tournament as the No. 7 seed in the East Region, taking on the No. 10 seed UCF Knights on Friday night in Philadelphia.

UCF is a bit of a smaller program overall, but its recent history has things heading in the right direction. Here is what fans should know about the Knights heading into this first-round matchup.

1. UCF's Tournament History

This will be UCF's sixth overall NCAA Tournament appearance and first since the 2018-19 season. That year, the Knights came within a last-second shot of knocking off Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett, and the No. 1 overall seed Duke Blue Devils, but they were ultimately eliminated in the second round.

Led by 7-foot-6 center Tacko Fall, that UCF team was the most successful in program history, earning its first and only NCAA Tournament win and claiming its best seed (9). As a No. 10 seed this season, it's just the second time the Knights have been seeded better than 14 by the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee.

2. UCF Was Competitive in Big 12 for First Time

Since that time, UCF has switched conferences, jumping over to the Big 12. After finishing its first two seasons near the basement of the conference, the Knights managed to finish the 2025-26 season tied with West Virginia for seventh place. They finished 21-11 overall, earning back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in over two decades.

UCF also had some good wins to help its resume, knocking off fellow Tournament teams BYU, Kansas, and Texas Tech in Big 12 play and Texas A&M in nonconference play.

3. UCF Has Successful Head Coach

The Knights are coached by former Duke star Johnny Dawkins, a former Naismith Player of the Year who has his jersey number hanging in the rafters at Cameron Indoor Stadium. He also played 10 years in the NBA before becoming an assistant under Coach K.

UCF is his second coaching stop, and he's now led the Knights to two NCAA Tournament appearances in his 10 years of leading the program. Under his watch, UCF has gone from dormant to relevant, and now competes in a massively competitive power conference, and Dawkions is responsible for more than 80% of the program's all-time wins over top-25 teams.

4. UCF Led by Elite Scorer, and He Plays Best Against Upper Echelon

The leader of this year's UCF team is Themus Fulks, a third-team All-Big 12 guard who transferred from Wisconsin-Milwaukee and finished second on the team in points and led the Knights in assists while also leading the team in minutes per game.

He averages over 14 points per game and shoots around 40% from three-point range, the best he's shot from long distance in his college career. Fulks has also stepped up in many games against the elite teams, scoring 30 against Big 12 champion Arizona and over 20 in upsets of BYU and Texas Tech.

5. UCF Has Produced Nine NBA Players

The list isn't long, and some also played for other schools, but UCF does have some alumni who played in the NBA, with the aforementioned Fall being the most notable. Most have gone undrafted, with only three worthy of selection.

The most recent player drafted from UCF was forward Taylor Hendricks, taken No. 9 overall by the Utah Jazz in 2023. He's still in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies after being traded as part of the package for All-Star big man Jaren Jackson Jr.