Two historic college basketball programs, headlined by their famous head coaches, duked it out in the second round of this year’s national tournament.
On Sunday, March 22, Dan Hurley and his UConn Huskies beat Mick Cronin’s UCLA Bruins 73-57 in the 2026 March Madness in neutral territory, the Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
UConn vs UCLA Box Score
UConn
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| A. Karaban | 27 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| T. Reed Jr. | 10 | 13 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| B. Mullins | 17 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| S. Ball | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| M. Smith | 2 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| J. Ross | 11 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| E. Reibe | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| D. Koroma | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| U. Paunovic | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| J. Furphy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| A. Millender | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| S. Demary Jr. | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
UCLA
| Player | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF |
| X. Booker | 13 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| D. Dent | 11 | 2 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| S. Clark | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| T. Perry | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| E. Dailey Jr. | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| S. Jamerson II | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| J. Brown | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| B. Williams | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| E. Freeny | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| J. Seidler | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
UConn vs UCLA Game Summary
Coach Mick Cronin‘s team was intense early on against the UConn Huskies, as they charged to a 4-0 lead with a stifling defense. The Connecticut-based program responded, however, with veterans Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. putting points on the board. The rest of the opening minutes of the game then saw a nip-and-tuck affair, with UCLA holding on to its lead by a thread.
Karaban continued to put pressure on the Bruins with a three-pointer, exactly at the halfway mark of the period, 18-15. UConn’s points were mostly produced by the sharpshooter. With this, he got UConn its first lead of the game, 23-21.
UConn and UCLA continued to throw haymakers at each other, but the Huskies’ three-point surge got them up by five, 38-33, at the half.
With the momentum seemingly in favor of coach Dan Hurley‘s squad, the Bruins got right back into the swing of things with four quick points to get within one at the beginning of the second half. From here, UCLA and UConn took turns with the lead, as this was the case in the first 10 minutes of the period. Eventually, a dominant 14-point run by the Huskies got them ahead by 12 points, 56-44, with 10 minutes to go in the game.
The Bruins immediately snatched the momentum back in their favor with a quick eight-point burst. Showcasing their experience on the national stage, being recent back-to-back national champions, the Huskies went on a run of their own to eventually lead by a commanding 13 points, 67-54. UConn never looked back, as it won over the Bruins to advance to the Sweet 16 with a 16-point win, 73-57.
Read More: “UCLA Should Just Pay the Buyout!”: Fans React as Mick Cronin Walks Back ‘Dirty Play’ Claim Following Steven Jamerson Incident
Also Read: UConn Players Not Spared as Dan Hurley Blames Physicality as Reason for St. John’s Loss
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in tennis, college football, men’s college basketball, women’s college basketball, and college baseball!
