PHILADELPHIA — With the school fight song reverberating through the alleyway nestled between Addition Financial Arena and a nearby parking garage, UCF basketball players and coaches boarded a team bus, greeted by the enthusiastic cheers of a group of supporters.
It was a small gathering, but, nevertheless, momentous in many ways.
The Knights will take center stage in a first-round matchup against UCLA in the NCAA Tournament in Philadelphia on Friday night.
This is the first meeting between the two programs, which are on different ends of the basketball spectrum.
UCF basketball has been around for almost sixty years, playing in more than 1,375 games during that stretch. Yet the Knights are relatively newbies in Division I basketball, with the program making just its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance, its first since 2018-19.
UCLA, meanwhile, is one of the blue bloods of college basketball, with 107 years of history.
When mentioning Bruins basketball, it’s hard not to recall legendary coach John Wooden or standout players Lew Alcindor (who would later become Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Don Barksdale, Bill Walton, Reggie Miller and Gail Goodrich.
The record books are filled with UCLA lore from their 38 All-Americans or their nine Hall of Famers.
Friday will be the 54th time UCLA has appeared in the NCAA Tournament, with the Bruins reaching the Sweet 16 37 times and the Final Four 19 times, while winning 11 national championships.
UCLA could add to that list with the Bruins being a 5 1/2-point favorite against UCF.
For the Knights, reaching the NCAA Tournament after a seven-year hiatus is a significant achievement. A victory against a powerhouse like UCLA would undoubtedly elevate the program’s visibility on a national scale.
“Any time we can be on this type of stage, we can have this type of moment, it shows our community, our student body, our fans what’s possible and to continue to dream big,” said UCF coach Johnny Dawkins. “It’s a function of continuing to do these things, continuing to put our brand out there so our brand becomes more common so people will look at UCF and [say], ‘We know more about them and Orlando and what they represent.’ ”
That message has resonated with UCF players.
“We understand how important this is, how big this is for the community,” said senior guard Themus Fulks. “We’re playing for something bigger than ourselves and our legacy.”
This has already been a momentous season for UCF, which has won a program-best nine games in the Big 12 in just its third full season in the conference.
The team’s success also led to record ticket sales, as the program generated the highest season-ticket revenue in school history. It also resulted in the largest single-game ticket revenue total, representing a 91% increase from the previous season.
UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins smiles during a sendoff greeting as he walks out to board a bus outside Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday afternoon, March 18, 2026. The basketball team is headed to Philadelphia for an appearance in the NCAA Basketball tournament. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
Two of the three highest-grossing single ticket games took place this season, with a big win over No. 3 Kansas on Jan. 3 and a close loss to No. 1 Arizona on Jan. 17. After pulling off the upset against Kansas, energized UCF fans stormed the court to celebrate the monumental victory.
When Terry Mohajir took the helm as UCF athletics director in 2021, one of his top priorities was to upgrade UCF’s basketball facilities, which had been severely underfunded as a member of the American Athletic Conference. To address this, the athletics department invested nearly $12 million to enhance the locker room and practice courts at Addition Financial Arena.
“It’s a great tribute to our players, our coaches, our staff and all the support staff that goes along with it,” Mohajir said of the team’s NCAA Tournament appearance. “It’s really a momentum builder. Is it the end-all be-all? No, but it’s a step, another step to creating traction and momentum for our program.”
Regardless of what happens this weekend in Philadelphia, UCF appears to be just scratching the surface.
Playing in the NCAA Tournament is a good cache for recruiting in the future.
It’s much easier to persuade a top prospect to join the Knights when the team has a wider brand appeal.
With the expected departures of Riley Kugel, Jamichael Stillwell, Devan Cambridge, George Beale Jr., Poohpha Warakulnukroh and Fulks, along with a few others, UCF will have its work cut out rebuilding the roster for the 2026-27 season.
UCF’s men’s basketball team takes the court at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pa., on Thursday for a practice session before the Knights’ first-round game against UCLA on Friday. (Orlando Sentinel/Matt Murschel)
But perhaps convincing some of the current players to stick around may be a little easier, even with the financial limitations.
“Everyone’s watching the NCAA Tournament and they’re watching the teams that are in it,” said Dawkins. “It shows what’s possible if you choose UCF. That you can be playing in March Madness. You can be one of the last teams playing in college basketball. It’s definitely a positive for us. It gives us credibility in the recruiting world that you can come here and have this type of success.”
Added Mohajir: “When they [recruits] see UCF out there on the [sports] ticker, and they see us competing nationally against storied programs, whether you win or lose, it’s the fact that our brand is at the top of their mind that is really important. That’s what we’re trying to do.”
Meanwhile, Friday’s game has many UCF fans excited for the future.
“I’m at about an 8 excitement level-wise,” said Nate Johnson, a second-year UCF student. “To be a real program in NCAA basketball, the expectation is you make it way more often than you don’t. We’re not making it every year, but this is a really good start.”
Johnson, who has built a reputation for being one of the first students in line for all the home basketball games, was among a group of fans outside of Addition Financial Arena on Wednesday to watch UCF pack up and head to Philadelphia.
“When my dad was here, he graduated in 1999; this building we’re standing outside of was the tiny, little basketball arena,” said Johnson. “Now, we’ve got a 10,000-seat arena going against an 11-time national champion at UCLA. That’s everything.”
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
Up next …
UCF (21-11) vs. UCLA (23-11)
When: 7:25 p.m., Friday
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, Pa.
TV: TBS