UCLA guard Skyy Clark chips tooth during NCAA Tournament first-round win over UCF
Authored by hiwind.net, Mar 22, 2026
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) defeated the University of Central Florida (UCF) 75-71 in a first-round game of the men's NCAA Division I basketball tournament on March 20, 2026, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[1]
Late in the second half, UCLA senior guard Skyy Clark, a California native who transferred to the Bruins from USC ahead of the 2024-25 season,[2][3] caught a stray elbow from UCF forward Themus Fulks while both players dove for a loose ball, chipping half of one of Clark's front teeth.[1][4]
The incident was captured on the CBS broadcast. UCLA walk-on guard Jack Seidler located the chipped portion of the tooth on the court.[1]
Clark returned to play after being examined by team medical staff and made a free throw in the closing seconds to help secure the victory for the third-seeded Bruins in the West Region.[1][5]
"It definitely hurt," Clark said after the game. "I have a little lisp going on."[1]
UCLA head coach Mick Cronin praised Clark's resilience. "He looked so good in the locker room," Cronin said. "Looks like a boxer... Looks tough."[1]
Clark, who has appeared in 57 games across three seasons at Louisville, USC and UCLA, averaged 8.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game entering the tournament.[2][3]
UCLA advanced to face the winner of the second-round matchup between top-seeded Arizona and eighth-seeded Dayton on March 22, 2026.[5]
Sources
- Fox News Digital, "UCLA guard Skyy Clark has a new smile he’s showing off after the Bruins’ 75-71 victory over UCF", March 21, 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports
- ESPN, "Skyy Clark player profile", accessed March 2026, https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/5105062/skyy-clark
- UCLA Bruins official athletics site, "Skyy Clark bio", accessed March 2026, https://uclabruins.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/skyy-clark/24765
- Associated Press, NCAA Tournament first-round coverage, March 20, 2026, https://apnews.com/hub/ncaa-mens-basketball
- NCAA.com, "2026 Men's Basketball Championship bracket - West Region", March 20, 2026, https://www.ncaa.com/march-madness-live/bracket