Another huge test awaits UCF when it travels to No. 8 Houston for a Big 12 Conference showdown on Wednesday.
The upstart Knights (17-4, 6-3 Big 12) weren’t exactly preseason darlings in the nation’s top-ranked conference. Picked to finish a humble 14th in the 16-team league, UCF has overachieved thus far.
The Knights sit 37th in the NCAA NET rankings and have a 4-4 record in Quad 1 games. There are no bad losses on the Knights’ NCAA Tournament resume either, as they are a combined 13-0 in Quad 2, 3 and 4 games.
After an 88-80 win over then-No. 11 Texas Tech on Saturday, UCF will look to push its win streak to four games and further bolster its postseason credentials.
In the upset over the Red Raiders — which featured two court stormings after fans celebrated prematurely before replay decided on a last-second foul that added time to the clock — four UCF players scored in double figures.
Themus Fulks scored 21 points and handed out seven assists and Jordan Burks tallied 17 points. Fulks is fourth in the nation with 7.2 assists per game and the Knights won the turnover battle after they forced 13 yet only gave away six possessions.
“Our leadership starts with Themus,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “He sets the tone for us with what we want to do out there offensively and defensively.”
The Knights held a 35-23 rebounding advantage against Texas Tech as John Bol (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Jamichael Stillwell (10 points, 10 rebounds) each posted double-doubles. With a 13-4 edge in offensive rebounds, the Knights continued to give their offense extra possessions.
“In basketball you’ve got to be active,” Dawkins said. “You’ve got to try and find a way to help your team. Guys have found ways to make plays for us and find extra possessions.”
Houston (19-2, 7-1) is in the hunt for another top seed when March Madness rolls around. The Cougars have won two straight games and are currently in second place in the Big 12. They’re ranked sixth on KenPom.com and ninth in the NET.
In a commanding 76-54 home win over Cincinnati on Saturday, Milos Uzan led the way with 16 points as the Cougars improved to 11-0 on their home court. Chris Cenac Jr., Emanuel Sharp and Isiah Harwell all pitched in 13 points.
With 267 made 3-pointers, Sharp is 10 away from setting the Houston record. He’s done it in his own unique way, according to Cougars coach Kelvin Sampson.
“Emanuel always had a quiet maturity about him,” Sampson said. “Nobody influenced him. If you have him in a negative environment or around shaky characters, that would never affect him. He is his own person that marches to the beat of his own drum and it’s a good drumbeat.”
A Houston defense that ranks second nationally at 61.7 points allowed per game will try to slow down a UCF squad that averages 84.2 points.
“Johnny has always had really good players,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said. “But this group has really good winning DNA. I pay attention to their DNA. Not every team has players that have that and that usually rubs off on the other guys. Johnny has done a great job of putting this team together.”
–Field Level Media
