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Dec. 27, 2004
ORLANDO - The men's basketball team looks to extend the best start (7-1) since moving to NCAA Division I, hosting Brown in the first round of the UCF Holiday Classic on Tuesday night. Brown comes into the game with a 4-5 mark. Charleston Southern (1-6) will face Fordham (4-4) in the opening game of the tournament.
UCF will be dedicating the 2004 UCF Holiday Invitational to legendary coach `Torchy' Clark. Clark, the first UCF Men's Basketball Coach, is very ill right now. We will be accepting donations beginning this week for Torchy and his family.
Clark is responsible for starting the basketball program at UCF. He coached the team from 1969-83 and compiled a record of 274-89 (.754). He led the team to six NCAA Division II Tournament appearances, including a berth in the 1978 Final Four. Originally from Appleton, Wisc., Clark this is also a member of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame and Sunshine State Conference Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame.
UCF comes into the tournament with a 7-1 mark, tops among the four teams. Brown sports a 4-5 mark while Fordham is 4-4 and Charleston Southern owns a 1-6 mark. UCF owns a collective 3-0 record against the field of the 2004 UCF Holiday Invitational. The Golden Knights are 1-0 against each of the other three competitors. The Knights downed Fordham 80-66 in the 1982-83 season while knocking off Charleston Southern 89-76 during the 1989-90 season. Brown has never faced Charleston Southern, while Fordham leads the series 4-1. CSU and Fordham have never faced each other.
Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. as the second game of the tournament. Marc Daniels will call the action, which can be heard live on UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station 740-THE TEAM (AM).