Central Florida Knights vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, Picks and Game Preview - 03/20/2026

Game Time: 7:25 pm ET, Friday, March 20, 2026

Venue:  Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA 

Where to Watch:  TBS

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, UCLA -5.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, UCLA -5.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  UCF +5.5, UCLA -5.5; Over/Under:  152.5 points

Central Florida Knights:  21-11 (9-9) (8th place, Big 12)

UCLA Bruins:  23-11 (13-7) (6th place, Big Ten)

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Central Florida Knights:  1-4  last 5

UCLA Bruins:  4-1  last 5

UCF is entering this game with a 21-11 record overall, a 9-9 record in conference games, and they are 3-1 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Arizona Wildcats in their last game. Themus Fulks led the team in points in that game with 14 while Jordan Burks and Chris Johnson each were next on the team with 10. Jamichael Stillwell led the team in assists with 5 in that game while Jamichael Stillwell led the team in rebounds with 11. They were 35.5% from the field, 14.3% from 3-point range, and 66.7% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 81 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 78.5 PPG against them. UCF has an ATS record of 15-17 this season and their O/U record is 13-19.

UCLA is entering this game with a 23-11 record overall, a 13-7 conference record, and they are 2-4 in their neutral site games this season where they will be in this game. They are coming off a loss against the Purdue Boilermakers in their last game. Trent Perry led the team in points in that game with 15 while Xavier Booker was next on the team with 12. Trent Perry led the team in assists with 9 in that game while Eric Dailey Jr. led the team in rebounds with 10. They were 43.9% from the field, 35% from 3-point range, and 81.8% from the free throw line with their shooting in that game. Their offense is averaging 77.7 PPG and their defense is allowing their opponents to average 71 PPG against them. UCLA has an ATS record of 17-16-1 this season and their O/U record is 17-17.

The current betting odds have UCLA listed as a 5.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. UCLA has looked good in their games this season with their 23-11 record overall and their 13-7 conference record which had them in the top half of the Big Ten. They haven't looked great in their neutral site games though, going 2-4. Meanwhile, UCF has looked good in their games this season with their 21-11 record overall, but their 9-9 conference record had them right in the middle of the Big 12. They have looked good in their neutral site games though, going 3-1. UCF played in the best conference in the nation this season so they have been getting tested pretty much every week, but they still had a lot of trouble this year. They did pick up some really good wins in the Big 12, but a lot of their good wins came at home where they have looked a lot better all year. They were very home dependent in those games, but they aren't going to have that luxury here against another good team from a conference that is also one of the best in the nation. UCF is off a loss to Arizona in the Big 12 Tournament, but they have looked terrible lately as they are 1-4 in their last 5 games and have been falling apart toward the end of the year. UCLA has been trending in the opposite direction though as they have been rolling to end their season. They are off a loss to Purdue who went on to win the Big Ten Tournament, but UCLA is 4-1 in their last 5 games and they have looked great lately. These two teams have been trending in opposite directions lately and UCLA is the more talented team here, that talent starting to show up now in their last few games. The best way to place a bet here is on UCLA to cover the spread in this game. 

Central Florida UCLA Prediction:  Our NCAAB Pick for Friday, March 20, 2026 (7:25 pm ET start time) is UCLA 85 UCF 75.

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Central Florida Knights: 3-6 ATS off a loss against a conference rival. 4-8 1H ATS in non-conference games. 13-19 1H ATS in all games. 11-5 OVER in all neutral court games. 23-16 OVER in non-conference games.

UCLA Bruins: 9-3 ATS in all tournament games. 11-6 ATS versus poor defensive teams - shooting pct defense of 45% or more. 27-18 ATS versus teams who are called for 17 or less fouls/game. 14-7 OVER versus up-tempo teams averaging 62 or more shots/game. 22-15 OVER when playing against a good team (Win Pct. 60% to 80%).

Central Florida Knights:  T. Jones (G) Questionable - Undisclosed.

UCLA Bruins:  T. Bilodeau (F) Questionable - Knee. E. Manjikian (F) Questionable - Undisclosed.

"You're always excited to hear your name called. It's such an honor to be invited to this tournament; it's the best tournament in sport, in my opinion. To have this opportunity is great." - Johnny Dawkins Jr on his team making the NCAA Tournament as a 10 seed. 

“With all due respect to the Big Ten, you can see how hard our guys were trying to win, but our guys are well aware. They practice under 11 banners that say national championship every day. They warm up under another banner with 19 Final Fours on it. We don’t even have one with conference championships because there’s 36 or something, there’s so many. Next week is what it’s about for us.” - Mick Cronin on his team making the NCAA Tournament as a 7 seed. 

J. Bol 

J. Burks 

T. Fulks 

R. Kugel 

J. Stillwell

T. Bilodeau 

X. Booker 

E. Dailey 

D. Dent 

T. Perry

PPG: Riley Kugel (14.4)

APG: Themus Fulks (6.7)

Reb/G: Jamichael Stillwell (8)

PPG: Tyler Bilodeau (17.6)

APG: Donovan Dent (7.6)

Reb/G: Eric Dailey Jr. (5.8)

Coaches:

Central Florida Knights: Johnny Dawkins Jr (10th season)

UCLA Bruins: Mick Cronin (7th season)