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In March Madness, it often comes down to the little things, but for UCF center John Bol, his blunder was no small thing: He scored on his own basket.
In the first half of No. 7 UCLA’s 75-71 win over No. 10 UCF on Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center, Bol hit a rebound into his own basket.
With just under two minutes left in the first half and the shot clock running down, UCLA guard Donovan Dent hit a desperation 3-pointer. Bol, instead of corralling Dent’s miss and turning the other way, knocked the ball into his basket to increase UCLA’s lead to 35-21.
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UCF Knights center John Bol (7) reacts against the UCLA Bruins during the first half of a first round game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 20, 2026. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
The points were not credited to a UCLA player.
It was the start of a rough night for Bol, who went 0-5 from the penalty line with an unorthodox free throw move. The 7-foot-2 center scored two points on the night and contributed as many points for his own team as he did for the other team.
Bol’s own basket wasn’t the only odd occurrence during the game, as UCLA guard Skyy Clark also lost a tooth during the game.
UCLA’S SKYY CLARK LOSES FRONT TOOTH IN MARCH MADNESS THRILLER TO HELP BRUINS TO FIRST ROUND WIN
UCF Knights guard Riley Kugel (2) and center John Bol (7) react during the first half of a first round 2026 NCAA Tournament game at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 20, 2026. (Kyle Ross/Imagn Images)
UCF made it close late, erasing a double-digit first-half deficit, but was unable to finish off the comeback, adding more significance to Bol’s own basket.
Jordan Burks led UCF in the loss with 22 points and six rebounds. Jamichael Stillwell (10 points), Themus Fulks (10 points) and Riley Kugel (13 points) were the only other players to score in double figures in the loss.
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UCF Knights center John Bol (7) reacts during the first half of a first round game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on March 20, 2026. (Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)
Eric Dailey Jr. led the Bruins with 20 points and five rebounds, while Trent Perry and Xavier Booker each had 15 points in the win.
UCLA will play No. 2 seed UConn in the Round of 32 on Sunday at 8:45 PM ET.
