PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – UCF’s time dancing ended Friday night after the Knights fell 75-71 to UCLA in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia.
Turnovers (17) and poor shooting (38%) prevented UCF to complete a late second half comeback. Junior forward Jordan Burks hit back-to-back 3’s in the final minute of play to make it a one possession game.
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But UCLA, led by Eric Dailey Jr. with 20 points, managed to pull out the win and end UCF’s season.
“Hats off to UCLA,” head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. “They played a really good basketball game. They were deserving of winning. I thought our guys did a really good job of fighting and putting ourselves in a position to come back, but at the end of the day, they made the plays they needed to make, and that’s what March Madness is about.”
Burks led the way for the Knights, scoring 22 points and shooting 6-11 from three. Orlando native Riley Kugel followed with 13 points.
“We’re competitors,” Burks said. “I wouldn’t say we were underdogs here. We just came up short. I felt like we had a good group, and we made a platform for the years to come to show them what it takes and what we need to do more.”
UCF finishes the 2026 season with a 21-12 record and a first time appearance in the tournament as a member of the Big 12 Conference.