PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Eric Dailey Jr. scored 20 points and Xaiver Booker added 15 points and eight rebounds to make up for the absence of leading scorer Tyler Biloudeau and seventh-seeded UCLA withstood every tough challenge to beat 10th-seeded UCF 75-71 in the NCAA tournament on Friday night.
The Bruins (24-11) will face the winner of the game between second-seeded UConn and Furman on Sunday.
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Jordan Burks scored 22 points and hit six 3-pointers, including one that made it 72-69 with 10 seconds left, almost single-handedly sending UCF (21-12) into the second round.
Led by comically irritable coach Mick Cronin, the Bruins are back in the second round for the second straight time after missing out on the tournament in 2024 with one player missing a tooth.
Cronin called on his team to hit the reset button after losing in the Big Ten tournament semifinals and skipping the NCAA tryouts. The Bruins looked relaxed with every alley-oop dunk, sending UCLA fans into a frenzy.
Every time the Cavaliers ran a point — most notably in the second half, when Burks hit back-to-back 3-pointers to cut their deficit to three and prompt chants of “UCF!” that filled the arena — the Bruins brought them back to reality.
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Trent Perry scored back-to-back layups, sparking a 12-1 run for the Bruins that seemed to put some distance between them and the Cavaliers.
But Burks hit another 3-pointer with 2:01 left in the game, narrowing the gap to 9 points, and made a layup to chase the score to 68-62.
The Bruins hit their free throws in the final seconds to earn their seventh win in nine games.
Tyler Bilodeau out for UCLA game with sprained knee
Bilodeau appeared on track to play for UCLA, but he remains sidelined due to a sprained knee suffered last week against Michigan State in the Big Ten tournament.
He averaged 17.6 points per game and was named to the Big Ten Third Team.
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Donovan Dent scores 10 points with calf injury in conference championship game
oops. UCF’s Bol scores a field goal for UCLA
UCF’s 7-foot-2 center John Bol was shooting for UCLA and when he jumped for a defensive rebound, the ball popped right out of his hands for an unexpected score.
The turnover gave UCLA a 35-31 lead.
Skyy Clark at UCLA needs a dentist
Late in the game, Clark lost a tooth while diving for a loose ball and appeared to be elbowed in the face by a UCF defender. The tooth flew up, and UCLA staff scrambled to find it.
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UCLA walk-on Jack Seidler discovered the loose tooth.
Clark made the final shot to secure the victory.
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UCLA remains in contention for its 12th national title.
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AP March Madness bracket: https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-bracket and coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/march-madness