Nov. 23, 2006
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ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will be looking to improve to 4-0 for the third-consecutive season when it hosts Florida Tech on Friday evening. Tip-off at the UCF Arena is slated for 7:30 p.m.
On Tuesday, the Golden Knights (3-0) eased to an 81-46 victory over local foe Bethune-Cookman. Three UCF players recorded double-figures in scoring.
Through three games this year, the Golden Knights are averaging 79 points. In 2005-06, the squad averaged 63.3 points per contest. Jermaine Taylor has come off the bench in all three games this year and leads the team in scoring (20 ppg).
Florida Tech is 1-2 in 2006-07.
Tickets for the game are available by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by calling 407-839-3900. Season tickets are also currently available by calling 407-UCF-1000.
UCF-Florida Tech will be aired live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 THE TEAM AM in Orlando, with Marc Daniels on the call.
Series History: UCF leads the all-time series with the Panthers, 22-2, but the teams have not met since 1988. In Orlando, UCF is 14-1 versus Florida Tech. The teams were Sunshine State Conference foes from 1981-84. The first series meeting was in 1971. All-time, UCF is 103-39 against current Sunshine State Conference squads. UCF opened the 2006-07 campaign on Nov. 15 with an 83-80 overtime win over league member Rollins.
Last Time Out Against Florida Tech: On Feb. 27, 1988, Florida Tech posted a 98-83 win over the Golden Knights at the UCF Gymnasium. Marty Collier paced the hosts with 17 points in the loss. The Golden Knights were coached by Phil Carter at the time.
About Florida Tech: Florida Tech, a member of the Sunshine State Conference, has opened the year by facing two Division I opponents in its first three games. On Wednesday, the Panthers dropped an 89-60 contest at Jacksonville. Justin Sedlak led all players with 21 points and nine boards off of the bench. Arthur Richardson added 13 points and Jod Kelley recorded five blocks in the loss. Florida Tech opened the regular-season campaign with a 67-59 defeat at Bethune-Cookman. The squad's lone win came on Nov. 19 at home, an 88-77 decision versus Puerto Rico-Mayaguez. Along with UCF, Puerto Rico-Mayaguez is one of eight teams participating in the San Juan Shootout in December.
UCF Last Time Out: On Tuesday, three Golden Knights scored in double-digits as UCF breezed to an 81-46 victory over local foe Bethune-Cookman at home. Chip Cartwright led the hosts with 12 points and Josh Peppers and Jermaine Taylor both added 11 points. UCF shot 49.1 percent from the field, compared to 30 percent for the Wildcats. Ten of the 12 Golden Knights who saw action scored in the game. UCF dominated inside, outscoring the Wildcats, 40-8, in the paint.
Offensive Outburts Early: In 2005-06, UCF scored 80 or more points only once. So far this year, the Golden Knights have eclipsed the 80-point mark in two of their three games. The team is shooting at a 48.2 percent clip.
Super Sophomore: A year ago as a freshman, Jermaine Taylor scored in double-figures just four times in 29 contests. The sophomore guard has scored in double-figures in all three of UCF's games this season and is the team's leading scorer at 20 points an outing. Last year, Taylor came off of the bench for all 29 games and averaged 4.5 points in 12.2 minutes. He opened 2006-07 by scoring 26 points in the win over Rollins and followed that performance with 23 versus Stetson. His season-high a year ago was 16 points against Houston (Feb. 15, 2005). He only connected on 17 triples in 2005-06, but already has eight this season.
Big Win Versus Bethune-Cookman: The 35-point victory margin in UCF's 81-46 win over Bethune-Cookman tied for the third-highest UCF Arena victory margin for the Golden Knights. The last time that UCF beat any opponent by more than 30 points, at home or on the road, was on Nov. 24, 2004 when the squad topped Puerto Rico-Mayaguez by 35 (92-57).
Great Beginnings: The Golden Knights have won 12-straight contests in the month of November and are 20-2 in the month dating back to the 2001-02 season. UCF's last loss during the month was a 72-63 defeat at the College of Charleston on Nov. 25, 2003. Last season, the squad went 4-0 in November.
Import Player: In his first season playing in the United States, Kenrick Zondervan scored just five points in 18 games last season. In 2006-07, the sophomore from Holland is starting at center and showing great improvement. Zondervan is averaging six points in 21.7 minutes of action. He notched a career-high with nine points in the win over Bethune-Cookman and also registered his first collegiate assist.
On the Glass: UCF has dominated the boards in its three contests in 2006-07. The Golden Knights are averaging 42.7 rebounds and hold a +15.3 rebounding margin. Against Bethune-Cookman, UCF outrebounded the Wildcats, 43-30.
Golden Knights Not in Giving Mood: UCF hosted Bethune-Cookman two days before Thanksgiving, but the Golden Knights were not generous on the defensive end. The team limited the Wildcats to just 46 points. Last year, three of UCF's opponents were held to below 50 points.
In-State Success: Since the start of the 2001-02 campaign, UCF is 29-11 against in-state opponents. Last season, the squad went 5-2 against Florida programs. In 2006-07, UCF opens the year by facing six-straight in-state foes.
Sunshine Start: For the second-consecutive year, UCF is starting the season by facing six-straight in-state opponents. Last year served as the first season since 1972-73 that the Golden Knights started a campaign with games against six-consecutive Florida opponents.
Shooting for 1,000: Senior forward Josh Peppers needs just 41 points to become the 13th 1,000-point scorer in program history. The Memphis, Tenn. native enters the year with 934 career points. He is looking to become the first Golden Knight to eclipse the 1,000-point barrier since Paul Reed achieved the feat during the 2001-02 season.
This Date in UCF History: On this date in 1981, Ronnie Thornton recorded a school-record 23 rebounds against Edward Waters. UCF won the contest, 103-71.
Up Next: The Golden Knights host in-state foe Jacksonville on Monday, Nov. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The Dolphins have an 11-10 advantage in the all-time series, but UCF leads 6-3 in Orlando. The programs were Sun Belt Conference opponents from 1991-93 and then were foes in the Atlantic Sun Conference from 1998-05. Kirk Speraw is 10-5 versus the Dolphins. The teams did not play last year, but split a pair of games during the 2004-05 season. In the last series meeting, the host Dolphins claimed an 83-82 overtime win over UCF on Feb. 12, 2005. Anthony Williams paced the Golden Knights with 31 points and 10 boards. He was 11-of-11 at the free-throw line as the Golden Knights went 18-of-20 at the charity stripe. Josh Peppers added 14 points and six assists in 40 minutes of action. Jesse Kimbrough and David Lee each had 18 points for Jacksonville.