July 21, 2006
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ORLANDO - The UCF men's basketball team is scheduled to participate in the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico this December. The Golden Knights will play three games at the eight-team event and open the tournament against Utah on Dec. 19 at 2 p.m. Eastern.
In addition to UCF and Utah, Appalachian State, Northwestern, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez, Tennessee Tech, Vanderbilt and Virginia are also participating in the event. UCF will face either Appalachian State or Virginia on Dec. 20. The tournament concludes on Dec. 21.
"This is a great tournament field and will be a tremendous test for our team early in the season," said UCF head coach Kirk Speraw. "The tournament has a strong reputation and we are looking forward to the trip to Puerto Rico. Utah is an outstanding team that is very well coached and should provide a great challenge for our kids."
Both Vanderbilt and Virginia played in the postseason National Invitation Tournament in 2006.
UCF will be leaving the continental United States for the third time since 2000 for a tournament. The Golden Knights won three contests in November 2004 to claim the BP Top of the World Classic title in Fairbanks, Alaska. In November 2000, UCF competed at the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Tournament in Kapolei.
The San Juan Shootout, which is the longest running Division I college basketball tournament off the mainland, is in its 20th year. The tournament is held at the Mario Morales Coliseum in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico.
Clemson claimed the San Juan Shootout title a year ago, defeating Akron, 66-59, in the championship game.
The Golden Knights return eight letterwinners from last season's team that went 14-15 overall, including senior forward Josh Peppers. An all-conference candidate, Peppers is one of the top returning offensive players in Conference USA after averaging 13.7 points per game in 2005-06.
In the last four years, UCF has won 84 games, a mark that ranks 39th nationally and second among all programs in the state of Florida during that span.
UCF and Utah will be meeting for the first time. The Utes return four starters from a team that went 14-15 a year ago.