No. 7 seed UCLA faces No. 10 seed UCF in the East Region first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday evening at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:25 p.m. ET, with both teams aiming to advance to the second round.
However, the Bruins and the Knights are heading into the game with key players dealing with injuries sustained during the 2025-26 season. Here are the players listed on the injury report hours before their first-round matchup.
UCLA Injury Updates: The Latest on Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent
The initial availability report for both teams was released Thursday night, with UCLA listing leading scorer Tyler Bilodeau as questionable for the game. The 6-foot-9 Bilodeau injured his knee in the Bruins’ upset victory over Michigan State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on March 13.
The senior forward did not play in the tournament semifinal against Purdue the next day. He is averaging 17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 30.2 minutes per game for the Mick Cronin-coached team.
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UCLA hopes Bilodeau’s knee will improve just hours before the UCF game. The questionable tag was assigned to the Kennewick, Washington, native, while top playmaker Donovan Dent was removed from the injury report.
Dent, who averages 13.5 points, 2.9 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, had a calf injury. Still, the removal of his name from the initial availability report suggests he is fully healthy and ready for the first-round matchup.
Evan Manjikian is listed as out due to a recurring arm injury and has been sidelined for the entire season because of it.
UCF Injury Updates: The Latest on Riley Kugel and Jamichael Stillwell
UCF has three players listed as questionable for the game: Riley Kugel, Jamichael Stillwell, and Jeremy Foumena. The team’s leading scorer, Kugel, re-aggravated his lower left leg injury after crashing into the scorer’s table during UCF’s game against Cincinnati on March 11.
Kugel, who averages 14.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.0 steals per game, played 14 minutes against Arizona on March 12. The 6-foot-5 guard is expected to play on Friday, as there was an eight-day break between the end of the Big 12 Tournament and the start of the NCAA Tournament’s first round.
Stillwell was also listed as questionable because of a lingering ankle injury he sustained in late February. On Wednesday, the 6-foot-8 senior forward was reportedly wearing a boot on his right foot as the Knights left for Philadelphia. The Milwaukee transfer is UCF’s leading rebounder (8.0 rpg), along with his 11.7 ppg, 2.2 apg, and 1.1 spg.
Another player on UCF’s questionable list is Jeremy Foumena, who has been limited by an ankle injury late in the season. However, the 6-foot-11 junior center was able to fully participate in the team’s open practice on Thursday. When healthy, Foumena averages 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 9.5 minutes per game.
Only freshman guard Tanner Jones is listed as out on the Knights’ availability report, as the 6-foot-4 guard has been dealing with an undisclosed injury all season.
The Bruins-Knights NCAA Tournament first-round game is the first meeting between the two teams in college basketball history, though UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins previously faced UCLA while coaching at Stanford from 2008 to 2016. Dawkins’ record against the Bruins was 4-12.
TBS will broadcast the UCLA-UCF game with Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), Steve Lappas (analyst), and Evan Washburn (sideline) providing commentary.
