Follow all of Sunday's NCAA Tournament second round games with USA TODAY Sports' live updates .
The unpredictability of Dan Hurley and Mick Cronin on the sidelines will draw a spotlight, but it's what happens on the court that will determine whether UConn or UCLA reach the Sweet 16 .
The No. 2 Huskies messed around a little bit No. 15 Furman before putting the Paladins away, 82-71 . UConn was shorthanded without point guards Silas Demary Jr. and Jaylin Stewart.
REQUIRED READING: Dan Hurley, Mick Cronin to meet in March Madness: 'We're not coaching Little League'
March Madness conference records: Big Ten leads at 11-2; How are SEC, Big 12 doing?
Demary listed as questionable on the NCAA's availability report for today's game vs. the No. 10 seed Bruins, and the Huskies will hope to have their point guard back.
No. 7 UCLA beat 10th-seeded UCF in 75-71 in the first round. The Bruins controlled most of the game but had some nervy moments late. Eric Dailey Jr. led the way with 20 points, with Trent Perry and Xavier Booker adding 15 each.
The winner of today's game advances to next week's Sweet 16 against No. 3 seed Michigan State in Washington D.C.
Here's what you need to know for today's game:
HIT REFRESH FOR UPDATES.
UConn vs UCLA live score
This section will be updated throughout the game
| TEAMS |
1H |
2H |
F |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA |
33 |
24 |
57 |
| UConn |
38 |
35 |
73 |
UConn vs UCLA March Madness live updates
UConn defeats UCLA, advances to Sweet 16
It's another trip back to the Sweet 16 for UConn, which defeats 7-seed UCLA 73-57. Pure domination down the stretch for the Huskies, who are looking for their third national title in the last four years.
Mick Cronin gets technical
Mick Cronin is the first to get a technical foul between himself and Dan Hurley. He is giving the referee who gave him the foul a mouthful. Alex Karaban hit both free throws from the technical foul and then Braylon Mullins finishes the 4-0 run with a layup shortly after.
UConn leads 67-54 with 4:18 to go.
Jayden Ross dunk extends UConn lead
Silas Demary Jr. finds Jayden Ross under the basket and Ross finishes the bounce pass with an emphatic dunk. Huskies lead 63-54.
UConn turns ball over, Dan Hurley not happy with official
Official Brian O'Connell says Malachi Smith traveled in front of the UConn bench, and Dan Hurley is not thrilled about the call. Hurley has been on the refs more in the second half than in the first half.
The Huskies' inconsistency on offense has allowed the Bruins to get back in this game, with the score 58-54 in favor of UConn with 6:58 remaining in the second half. Since going on a 14-0 run that built a 12-point lead, UConn has been outscored 10-2 by UCLA.
UCLA cuts UConn's lead to four
A 12-point lead for UConn has quickly been trimmed to five points after a 3-0 run from Eric Dailey Jr., who draws the foul against Solo Ball at the basket.
UConn pushes lead to double digits
The Huskies go up double digits for the first time on the night, thanks to a 3-pointer from Alex Karaban. The Captain of the Huskies continues to come in clutch for UConn.
It's a 14-0 run over the last 5:09 for the Huskies. They lead 56-44 with 10:41 to go in the second half.
Alex Karaban extends UConn lead to 9-0
Alex Karaban drains a 3-pointer and UConn pushes its lead to 51-41. It's a 9-0 run for the Huskies over the last 3:20 of the game, and Mick Cronin calls a timeout. The Bruins have fallen out of rhythm of late, with three turnovers in the last 3:34.
It's starting to sound and feel like a UConn home game as the Huskies' fanbase has woken up in the lower bowl.
Oh, any Bill Murray is loving it too!
UConn-UCLA tied at media timeout
Both teams are settling into the second half, but it is UCLA's offense that has found a bit more success than UConn's. The Bruins and the Huskies are knotted up at 42 apiece at the under-16 media timeout.
The Bruins are 4-of-7 shooting to start the second half, compared to the Huskies' 1-of-4 shooting.
Something worth monitoring is Silas Demary Jr. for the Huskies, who, like in the first half, didn't start the second half with UConn's starting five. He played in 11 minutes in the first half and is scoreless. He's on the bench wearing what appears to be a heating pad for his ankle injury.
UCLA opens on extended run, takes lead
It's a quick 6-0 run for UCLA out of the break and the Bruins take back the lead at 39-38. UConn has missed each of its first two shots from the field to open the half, and has a turnover in the span as well.
Second half underway
Twenty minutes for a trip to the Sweet 16. The second half gets underway with UCLA's Trent Perry getting the jumper to fall in.
UConn leads UCLA at halftime
Donovan Dent attempts a half-court buzzer shot to end the first half, but it rims out. Largely in part due to its strong offensive end of the half, as it made 8-of-10 shots from the field to end the opening half, UConn leads UCLA 38-33 at halftime.
Braylon Mullins came on late for the Huskies with three consecutive shots from the field. He has eight at halftime.
Jayden Ross provided UConn with quality minutes from the bench as well. He hit a pair of triples and finished with three rebounds, a steal and a block in 14 minutes of play.
Xavier Booker leads UCLA with 12 points. The Bruins only made four shots from the field in the final 9:08 of the half.
UCLA calls timeout after Braylon Mullins 3-pointer
Mick Cronin is not thrilled about a 3-pointer from the top of the key from Braylon Mullins, so he calls a timeout on the floor. Mullins has made each of his last three shots from the field after starting out 0-for-5.
UConn has pushed its lead back up to five at 38-33 with under a minute to go.
Braylon Mullins getting hot
It seems all Braylon Mullins needed to get going was seeing one shot fall. He hits a 3-pointer to push UConn's lead to 35-30 with under 2:30 to go in the first half.
Braylon Mullins gets shot to fall in
Braylon Mullins has hit a few (or many) challenging shots for UConn this season. He adds another from just around the free-throw line with a jumper to get on the board. If the Huskies are able to pull this one out and advance to the Sweet 16 vs. 3-seed Michigan State, they are going to need their freshman shooter.
Mullins' shot makes it 6-for-6 for the Huskies in their last six shot attempts. Both teams' defenses have come to play as well, with 14 combined turnovers in the first 17 minutes.
It's UConn leading 32-28 with 3:14 to go until halftime.
Jayden Ross gives UConn lead
It's back-to-back 3-pointers for Jayden Ross off the bench, and UConn takes the lead at 23-21. It's the first lead change of the game.
It's also just the seventh made shot from the field for the Huskies. Freshman guard Braylon Mullins is 0-for-3 to start the night, while Solo Ball is 0-for-1. Both have struggled to get started in the Men's NCAA Tournament.
Jayden Ross ties game with 3-pointer
Jayden Ross ties the game with a tough 3-pointer and draws the foul while going down. He misses the free throw and keeps the game tied at 20-20 with 6:51 remaining. A big basket off the bench for the Huskies.
Dan Hurley fired up after defensive stop, UConn cutting into deficit
Malachi Smith gets the steal around midcourt, and Dan Hurley is loving all of it as he shows some emotion going into the under-eight media timeout. The Huskies got a layup from Smith on the previous play to cut the deficit to three at 20-17 with 7:13 remaining until halftime.
UConn is shooting 5-of-17 from the field to start out, while UCLA is 7-of-17. Both teams are even at the glass with 11 rebounds each.
UConn struggling against UCLA
It hasn't been the prettiest opening 12 minutes for UConn, even with the Huskies trailing by just five points. The Huskies have four turnovers in roughly five minutes, and haven't scored in over two minutes.
Xavier Booker delivers dunk, UCLA extends lead
Xavier Booker gets the bounce pass from Eric Daily Jr. and finishes it with an easy yet emphatic dunk at the rim to extend the Bruins' lead to 18-12.
UCLA holding onto lead at media timeout
Both teams are struggling to keep control of the ball, as they've combined for six turnovers in the last 3:19, which has led to both teams' offenses going cold. The Bruins' switching on defense, something Dan Hurley hinted at in Saturday's media availability, is causing the Huskies trouble to get their offense, which has been inconsitent all season, to get into a flow.
It's UCLA up 14-12 with 11:47 left in the first half.
Silas Demary Jr. checks in for UConn
As both teams come out of the media timeout, so does Silas Demary Jr., who missed UConn's first-round win over Furman with an ankle injury he sustained in the Big East Tournament. That's a positive sign for UConn's offense and defense.
UCLA-UConn trading 3-pointers
Both teams are trading off 3-pointers in their last three possessions. Donovan Dent got it started for UCLA, but then UConn answered with a 3-pointer from Alex Karaban. Karaban was then handed the favor back with a triple from Xavier Booker.
Alex Karaban worked his way inside the paint to draw the foul, he'll head to the line. UCLA leading 14-11 at the under-16 media timeout with 14:15 remaining in the game.
UCLA leading early
The Bruins hold the early 8-6 lead over the Huskies at the 16:13 mark of the first half. Both teams have combined for eight points from the free-throw line.
UConn win tip, Skyy Clark gets scoring going
The Huskies take the opening tip-off, and Solo Ball moves the ball up the court. But it is Skyy Clark, with his new tooth, who gets the scoring going with a fast break layup. It's 2-0 UCLA early on.
Is Silas Demary Jr. starting for UConn vs UCLA?
No, Silas Demary Jr. is not in the starting lineup for UConn vs. UCLA. He is sitting on the bench with his warm-up shirt still on.
UConn-UCLA starting lineups
Here's the starting lineups for UConn-UCLA for Sunday's second round matchup:
UConn
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Malachi Smith (Guard)
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Solo Ball (Guard)
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Tarris Reed Jr. (Center)
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Alex Karaban (Forward)
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Braylon Mullins (Guard)
UCLA
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Trent Perry (Guard)
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Xavier Booker (Forward/Center)
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Donovan Dent (Guard)
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Eric Dailey Jr (Guard/Forward)
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Skyy Clark (Guard)
What time is UConn vs UCLA?
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Time:8:45 p.m. ET, Sunday.
What channel is UConn vs UCLA? How to watch, streaming info
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The game is airing on TNT, streaming via Fubo .
UConn vs UCLA prediction, odds
Odds provided by BetMGM , as of 1 p.m., Sunday.
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John Leuzzi:UConn
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Jordan Mendoza:UCLA
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Ehsan Kassim:UCLA
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Blake Schuster:UConn
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Moneyline:UConn (-200); UCLA (+165)
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Spread:UConn (-4.5)
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Over/under total:136.5
Will Dan Hurley, Mick Cronin control emotions or get technical fouls?
Hurley and Cronin are among the more volatile coaches on the bench. Put them together and there's a chance for a sideline explosion.
"It's ridiculous. Everybody needs to get a life," Cronin said Saturday, March 21 when asked if he cares about how people perceive Hurley and himself. "You want to win big? Do you think Coach Hurley's not supposed to be intense, but you want to win? We're not coaching Little League."
Silas Demary Jr injury update: Will UConn guard play vs UCLA?
The 6-4 guard was held out of UConn's first-round win over 15-seed Furman at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday, March 20 as he continues to rehab from an ankle injury he sustained in the Big East Tournament.
He was listed as questionable for the March 22 second-round game against the 10-seed Bruins in the NCAA's initial player availability report .
Why is Bill Murray at UConn vs UCLA March Madness game?
Murray's son Luke Murray is an associate head coach on the Huskies' coaching staff.
Luke Murray is in his fifth season on the UConn bench. Before taking the Huskies assistant job in 2021, he was an assistant at both Xavier and Louisville under now the College of Charleston coach Chris Mack. He is in his ninth season on Hurley's staff across three different stops.
Tarris Reid stats: Huskies big man's big night matches Elvin Hayes
Reid scored 31 points and pulled down 27 rebounds in the Huskies' first round win over Furman.
The 6-11 forward became the first player since Houston's Elvin Hayes in 1968 to finish with at least 30 points and 25 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game.
"That's as good as you are ever going to see it," UConn coach Dan Hurley said of Reed's performance after his team's 82-71 win over Furman to a group of reporters outside the Huskies locker room.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: UConn vs UCLA live score updates, highlights from March Madness Round 2

