March 13, 2005
ORLANDO - The UCF men's basketball team (24-8) has earned a No. 15 seed in the NCAA Tournament and will face second-seeded Connecticut, the defending national champions, in the first round on Friday, March 18 at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. The game will be televised live on CBS. Tip off is slated for 2:45 p.m.
The Golden Knights (24-8) are making their second consecutive trip to the tournament after defending their Atlantic Sun Championship title with a 63-54 victory over Gardner-Webb on March 5.
Overall, UCF will be appearing in the tournament for the fourth time in school history, with all of those trips coming under head coach Kirk Speraw.
This season's team has won eight straight contests and 12 of their last 13.
The Huskies (22-7) are making their third straight NCAA Tournament appearance. Connecticut claimed its second NCAA crown last season, topping Georgia Tech (82-73) in the title game. Head coach Jim Calhoun's squad fell to Syracuse, 67-63, in the BIG EAST Conference Championship semifinals on Friday.
The winner of Friday's game will play either No. 7 seed Charlotte or No. 10 NC State on Sunday. The teams are all part of the Syracuse Regional, which features North Carolina as the top seed.
UCF and Connecticut have never met on the hardwood. For the second consecutive season, the Golden Knights will face a BIG EAST squad in the postseason. The team played Pittsburgh in the NCAA Tournament a year ago.