The second round of the 2026 NCAA Tournament is in full swing. While there haven’t been a plethora of upsets so far through March Madness, we have been treated to some nail-biters.
Now, fans are going to be treated to one of the biggest possible games on the slate when the UCLA Bruins take on a potential dynasty in the making in the UConn Huskies. But after both teams suffered major injuries in the first round, with UCLA missing its highest scorer in Tyler Bilodeau, what does the latest injury report look like for the two squads?
UCLA vs. UConn Second-Round Injury Report
UCLA Bruins
A 23-11 season was likely not going to be enough for the Bruins to qualify. However, behind a strong run in the Big Ten Tournament, they earned their bid as the No. 7 seed in the East Region.
But their path became considerably more difficult in the first round when facing UCF. Bilodeau, who was the scoring leader on the team by a considerable margin at 17.6 points per game, missed the game with an injury.
His absence was evident in the final score, as UCLA barely eked out a 75-71 win over the Knights. Eric Dailey Jr. led the team in scoring with 20 points, while Xavier Booker and Trent Perry chipped in with 15 apiece.
For a mostly top-heavy team, the contribution from the bench was virtually unrecognizable, as it added just 5 points to the total. When the Bruins face a Huskies squad looking for revenge in this tournament after a second-round exit last year, they’ll need more from their group.
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Thankfully, there is some optimism for the Bruins fanbase in the latest injury report. While Evan Manjikian remains out for the game, Bilodeau’s status has been upgraded to questionable.
As UCLA beat reporter Connor Morrissette wrote on X, “Tyler Bilodeau, Silas Demary and Jaylin Stewart, who all didn’t play in the first round for their respective teams, remain questionable for UCLA and UConn on the initial availability report ahead of Sunday’s Round of 32 matchup in Philly between the two teams.”
If Bilodeau can make it back on the court, he’d be a huge gain for UCLA as it tries to continue its run.
UConn Huskies
The Huskies are out for revenge in this year’s NCAA Tournament. After winning back-to-back championships in 2023 and 2024, they cemented themselves as one of the best programs in college basketball.
However, their run came to a startling halt in 2025, when they lost in the second round to Florida. This year, they are coming in as the No. 2 seed in the East Region and have already taken care of business against Furman in the first round.
What made the 82-71 victory even sweeter was that they did it without the team’s assists (6.2) and steals (1.6) leader, Silas Demary Jr.
Additionally, they were lacking depth in the frontcourt, with Jaylin Stewart out for the game.
Facing the Bruins, though, they have some optimism coming their way. Both Demary and Stewart have been upgraded to questionable. After the way their season ended last year, head coach Dan Hurley will be hoping to have both his guys out on the court to give them a better shot against UCLA.
