2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament: How to Watch and Game Thread - #7 Seed UCLA Bruins vs. #2 Seed UConn Huskies
The Bruins will need to get past Dan Hurley and the UConn Huskies if they want to play in the Sweet Sixteen next weekend.
To Bilodaeu or not to Bilodeau? That is the question. That question may not be answered until game time, but as of the Initial Player Availability Report, he is listed as questionable. That link will change from the Initial Report to the Final Report at some point this afternoon, but even then, whether Tyler Bilodeau plays today could change.
The good news for UCLA from that report is that UConn starting guard Silas Demary, Jr. is also listed as questionable due to an ankle injury he suffered in the Big East Tournament.
In general, the Bruins are hoping they have Bilodeau available because UCLA chances of beating UConn today improve with him and their chances fall without him. Either way, we will find out for sure when tonight’s game tips off at 5:45 pm PT on TNT.
The good news here is that this UCLA-UConn matchup pits the men’s teams from these two schools in this second round game because I think every Bruin fan out there is hoping for a National Championship game rematch of last year’s National Semifinal game on the women’s side.
Frankly, UConn’s game notes will likely irritate every Bruin fan out there because the Husky Bits section proclaims “UConn is the Basketball Capital of the World.” To be sure, the UConn women’s team have earned that with their history, but the UConn men have only won six titles. Their 2024 title has allowed the Huskies to pass Indiana and Duke and move into a third place tie with North Carolina, but they need to win three more before they pass Kentucky and, more importantly, they need to win six more before they can pass UCLA. So, their claim is absolute garbage.
Of course, UConn is led by Dan Hurley, whose older brother Bobby was recently fired as the head coach at Arizona State. To be sure, what Hurley has done at UConn, winning back to back titles in 2022-23 and 2023-24 is outstanding. But this year’s team is not as good as either of those title teams.
UConn Huskies’ Starting Five
Dan Hurley will probably start a lineup tonight consisting of three guards, a forward and a center.
The Huskies are led by senior center Tarris Reed, Jr. who is averaging 14.3 ppg. Reed has been a monster in the paint for the team with 60 blocks and 8.7 rpg, leading UConn in both categories.
Hurley’s other big man is redshirt senior forward Alex Karaban. He’s averaging 12.9 ppg and 5.2 rpg. Karaban is also one of UConn’s best three-point shooters. Of the Huskies with more than 100 attempts from beyond the arc, his 38.9% three-point percentage is the best on the team.
Junior Solo Ball averages 13.4 ppg to lead the guards in scoring while freshman Braylon Mullins averages 12.0 ppg. While Ball has made more threes than anyone of the team, his 229 attempts gives him just a 30.3% three-point percentage. By comparison, Mullins has made almost as many as Ball, but his three-point percentage is 33.0%. He’s just taken 46 fewer attempts.
Hurley would certainly prefer Demary to play tonight. Not only is he averaging 10.9 ppg, his 211 assists give him more than the next two guys combined. He also leads UConn in steals with 56 and he is third in rebounds with an average of 4.5 rpg.
If Demary is unable to play tonight, look for redshirt senior Malachi Smith to start in his place. Against Furman on Friday, Smith only scored four points. So, the Huskies will miss Demary’s point production. Smith did lead UConn in assists with seven, however. Both categories are in line with what Smith has done the rest of the season. He is second in assists with 99 while only averaging 3.5 ppg.
The first two guys off the bench will probably be junior forward Jaydin Ross and freshman center Eric Reibe. Reibe averages 6.6 ppg and is second on the team in blocks with 28. He is also fourth on the team in rebounds with an average of 3.7 rpg. Meanwhile, Ross has averaged just 4.6 ppg and 2.7 rpg.
Outlook
It would probably be ideal if UCLA can get Karaban into foul trouble as early as possible. While he hasn’t fouled out all season, getting him in foul trouble early might force him to the bench and limit his offensive production.
While UConn may be ranked in the Top Ten, they finished behind St. John’s both in the Big East regular season standings and in the Big East Tournament. So, while the Huskies may still be a number two seed, they are a weak number two seed. In fact, UConn has not played as well of late. Since the Huskies lost to St. John’s on February 6, they have lost four of their twelve games after winning 22 of their first 23 games of the season. The lone loss during that stretch was a four-point loss to Arizona just a few days after the Bruins lost to the Wildcats by the same margin.
They are exactly the kind of team that UCLA has been beating at home all season long — a weak Top Ten team. If Bilodeau is available, the Bruins could have a big advantage in this game, especially if Demary is unable to go for UConn.
Listen to the Game With TMB
Today’s game will be broadcast on TNT and streamed on MarchMadness.com with Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, and Evan Washburn on the call. Of course, you can opt to listen to Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray on the radio or streamed on TheVarsityNetwork.com instead. To watch or listen online, just right-click on the links so that you can open up another tab and have it going while you chat in the comments below.
This is your UCLA men’s basketball vs. UConn Huskies NCAA Men’s Tournament Second Round game thread. Here’s how to watch, listen and stream tonight’s game.
2026 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament Second Round
Teams: #7 Seed UCLA Bruins (23-11) vs. #2 Seed UConn Huskies (30-5)
Series Record: UCLA leads, 1-0
When: 5:45 pm PT, Sunday, March 22, 2026
Where: Xfinity Mobile Arena, Philadelphia, PA
TV: TN with Andrew Catalon, Steve Lappas, and Evan Washburn
Live Stream: MarchMadness.com, the March Madness app and the Max app
Radio/Audio
Local Radio: AM 570 with Josh Lewin and Tracy Murray
Satellite Radio: Sirius Ch. 211 or XM Ch. 204 (National Call)
Online: TheVarsityNetwork.com
Live Stats: MarchMadness.com
Tournament Notes:
UCLA
Go Bruins!!!
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The story of this game is, at full strength, these two teams are evenly matched.
The problem is UCLA wasn’t at full strength, and that’s basically the game.
Trent Perry disasterclass game.