UCLA men’s basketball will face UCF in NCAA Tournament

The UCLA men’s basketball team got the date it wanted for its NCAA Tournament opener, but big trouble could be waiting in the second round.

The No. 7 seed Bruins will face No. 10 seed UCF in the first round of the East Region on Friday at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

UCLA’s likely second-round opponent, should it get past the Knights? That would be No. 2 seed UConn , which will face No. 15 seed Furman in the first round.

Tyler Bilodeau is expected to return from injury ahead of the Bruins’ NCAA Tournament game. Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images" loading="lazy" decoding="async" data-nimg="1" class="standard-img p_maxWidth" src="https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/VcUdI2XmCK44n9zGmArCDg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTYzOTtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/ny_post_sports_articles_389/9925394ec8e8545bc7ee789fe952105f" width="100%" style="; max-width:300px;"/>

The Huskies have become one of the nation’s preeminent programs under coach Dan Hurley, winning back-to-back national championships in 2023 and 2024. They are coming off a 20-point loss to St. John’s in the Big East Conference Tournament championship game.

Playing its first NCAA Tournament game on Friday instead of Thursday will allow extra rest and recovery for a team that needs it.

UCLA is expecting to get back its top two players after Tyler Bilodeau and Donovan Dent went down with injuries in the Big Ten Tournament.

Bilodeau suffered a mild right knee sprain during the Bruins’ victory over Michigan State in the quarterfinals.

Dent sustained a calf strain a day later when the Bruins lost to Purdue in the semifinals.

Even though both players are expected to play against UCF, which lost to Arizona in the Big 12 Conference Tournament, having another 24 hours will undoubtedly help them get closer to full strength.