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UCF basketball receives $150,000 donation before NCAA Tournament game vs. UCLA

Danby: Daniel Hager03/20/26DanielHagerOn3

Just hours before UCF squares off against UCLA in an NCAA Tournament First Round game, the program announced huge news. The Knights have received a $150,000 donation from an anonymous Shareholder.

The Knights enjoyed a successful 2025-26 campaign. They won 21-plus games and made an NCAA Tournament appearance for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

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“Thank you to an anonymous Shareholder for making a huge investment in the UCF Men’s Basketball and Women’s Basketball programs,” UCF ChargeOn Fund wrote. “Your support helps create opportunities for our student-athletes to perform on the biggest stage.”

“I’m excited to be here back in Philly. I love it here. There’s no better fans in all of the country,” UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said during his media opportunity Thursday. “It’s an amazing support place. I’m looking forward to competing here, and I’m happy this team made this opportunity pretty special. The fact that we were able to run through that gauntlet of the Big 12 and have the opportunity to play in the postseason. I know our guys are very excited. We’re very excited for the opportunity, and what a great field. I think it’s amazing.

“I think it’s important for everyone to understand as a young player, I know I did and I’m sure our players as well, they dream of this moment throughout their lives. So, to have this moment to be on this stage and realize your dream is something special. I’m just excited for our guys and I’m proud of our staff. They’ve done an amazing job.”

UCF is seeking first NCAA Tournament victory since 2019

The Knights opened the 2025-26 season with a 12-1 record, which propelled them to a No. 25 ranking in the AP Poll following an 81-75 win over No. 17 Kansas. They, however, lost their following game to Oklahoma State and quickly fell out of the rankings. UCF is limping into the Big Dance a bit, as it lost three of its last four games. It cemented its spot in the Tournament with three consecutive wins from Feb. 17-24, which lightened the blow for the next three losses.

Their last game came in the Big 12 Tournament against No. 1 overall seed Arizona, which resulted in a 78-57 Quarterfinal loss to the Wildcats. The UCLA team the Knights will be facing Friday night has won six of its last eight games, including victories over No. 10 Illinois, No. 9 Nebraska, and No. 8 Michigan State.

UCF is seeking its first NCAA Tournament victory since 2019. The Knights downed No. 8 seed VCU 73-58 in the Round of 64 that year.