UCF Knights vs UCLA Bruins Prediction, 3/20/2026 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs UCLA Bruins

Date: Friday, March 20, 2026

Location: Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, PA

TV: TBS

Odds/Point Spread: UCF (+6)

The UCF Knights (21-11) are headed to Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday where they will take on the UCLA Bruins (23-11) in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament. UCLA opens this matchup as 6-point favorites from Vegas oddsmakers. The over/under is set at 152.

The UCF Knights took the court against Arizona and took a loss by a final of 81-59 in their last game. In the matter of personal fouls, the Knights walked away with 24 while Arizona accumulated 15 personal fouls. They converted 6 out of their 16 attempts from long range. Arizona finished the game at 54.8% at the free throw line by converting 17 of 31 attempts. In addition, Arizona collected 42 rebounds (13 offensive, 29 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Arizona doled out 9 assists and had 5 steals in the game. In terms of defending, UCF allowed the other team to go 48.3% from the floor on 29 of 60 shooting. They also recorded 10 assists for the contest while forcing 8 turnovers and having 4 steals. In relation to hauling in boards, they earned 34 with 12 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Knights made 10 of their 15 shots for a percentage of 66.7%. UCF finished the contest with a 36.5% field goal percentage (23 of 63) and converted 3 of 21 3-point shots.

Themus Fulks is a guy who had an impact for the game. He notched 14 points on 6 of 11 shooting. He played 35 mins and collected 3 boards. He went 54.5% from the field and also dished out 2 dimes.

Get all of our NCAA Picks Today

UCF will play this contest with a mark of 21-11 on the campaign. They average 81.0 pts per contest (66th in the nation) on 46.6% from the field. The Knights are hitting 36.2% on three-point attempts (251 of 694) and 74.0% from the free throw line. As a unit, UCF is pulling down 37.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 504 assists for the year, which has them ranked 90th in the nation in terms of passing. They are giving up possession 11.2 times per contest and as a squad they are committing 17.5 personal fouls every game.

When they are on defense, the Knights are forcing 11.3 turnovers per game and they draw 17.3 fouls. They are currently ranked 227th in college in giving up assists to the opposition with 449 surrendered on the season. The Knights defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 45.6% (875 of 1,918) and they concede 33.5 rebounds per game as a team. They are conceding 34.0% on shots from distance and they rank 304th in D-1 in PPG allowed (78.5).

The last time they took the court, the UCLA Bruins went home defeated by a final of 73-66 when they played Purdue. When it comes to how they attacked the glass, UCLA permitted Purdue to grab 32 overall (14 offensive). They finished 35.7% from behind the 3-point line by going 10 of 28 and finished the contest at 13 of 19 at the free throw line (68.4%). The Bruins permitted Purdue to make 25 of 54 attempts from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 46.3% in this contest. When this game wrapped up, the Bruins shot 25 out of 57 from the floor which had them shooting 43.9%. With respect to shooting from distance, UCLA converted 7 of their 20 tries (35.0%). They were able to bury 9 of the free throw attempts for a clip of 81.8%. Purdue had 17 personal fouls for this game which took the Bruins to the free throw line for a total of 11 attempts. They also gave up possession 8 times, while recording 12 steals in the matchup. The Bruins were able to collect 20 defensive boards and 6 offensive boards totaling 26 in the matchup.

Trent Perry ended up being a factor for the Bruins in this game. He converted 4 of 12 for the matchup for a field goal rate of 33.3%, and accumulated 3 rebounds. He tallied 15 points in his 40 mins on the court and had 9 assists in this matchup.

UCLA has a mark of 23-11 on the year. On the offensive side of the court, the Bruins are connecting on 47.1% from the field, which is 62nd in college. UCLA has earned 2,643 points for the campaign (77.7 per contest) and they average 32.3 boards per contest. They are assisting teammates 16.3 times per game (47th in college) and they are turning it over 8.9 times per contest. The Bruins have committed 17.1 fouls per game and they hit 76.7% from the charity stripe.

The Bruins on defense are ranked 103rd in college hoops in PPG given up with 71.0. They have forced 12.0 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 43.3% from the floor (122nd in D-1). The UCLA defense gives up 31.8% on 3-point shots (270 of 849) and opponents are knocking down 75.3% of their foul shots. They give up 15.4 assists and 32.8 rebounds per game, which is ranked 304th and 77th in those defensive categories.

Who will win tonight's NCAA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take UCF (+6)

Get $60 worth of FREE premium member picks. No Obligation. No Salesman. No Credit Card. Fast Sign up with Instant Access Click Here