The No. 10 seed University of Central Florida Knights begin their 2026 NCAA Tournament on Friday evening in Philadelphia against the No. 7 seed UCLA Bruins in East Region Round of 64 action. Hard Rock Bet Sportsbook, the only legal sportsbook in the state of Florida, has them as as 5.5 point underdog against the Big Ten blue blood.
For UCF the tournament bid alone is a sign of progress for a team that wasn’t expected to make waves in this new, revamped version of the Big 12 conference. The Knights accumulated a 21-11 regular season record, picking up key wins throughout the year over ranked rivals including Kansas and Texas Tech, and managed to secure an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after falling to Arizona in the Quartefinals of the conference tournament.
The UCLA Bruins on the other hand will enter the contest with a 23-11 record and momentum following a nice run in the Big Ten conference tournament that included wins over Rutgers and a highly-ranked Michigan State team. They’ve beaten some of the best teams in the country as a part of their challenging conference schedule, including Illinois, Nebraska, and Purdue, and will be eyeing a deep run in this East Region. They’re a 5.5 point favorite on Friday.
UCF vs UCLA current odds
- Moneyline: UCLA -230, UCF +180
- Spread: UCLA -5.5
- Over/under: 151.5
UCF vs UCLA Game Start Time, TV Channel, Venue
- 📍 Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia
- 📅 Date: Friday, March 20
- ⏰ Start Time: 7:25 PM ET
- 📺💻 TV/Streaming: TBS, HBO Max
Betting Splits for Central Florida vs UCLA
So where are the bets going? Where’s the money going? As a legal, regulated sportsbook – we can tell you. Here’s what the betting splits look like in advance of the 7:25pm ET tip.
- On the moneyline, a whopping 70.8% of the bets and 64.4% of the handle are on UCLA. This tracks, they are, after all, a 5.5 point favorite.
- The point spread? That’s another story. 64.3% of Hard Rock Bet bettors are taking UCF to cover the spread. Notably, more money is actually on UCLA to cover, though – with 55.3% of the cash backing the Bruins to cover.
- What about the over/under, currently sitting at 151.5? Oh, bettors think we’re going over. 75.6% of the total bets are on the over, and 55.2% of the handle.
All referenced odds are subject to change.
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