Nov. 15, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Coming off of an impressive win over national power Nevada in the inaugural game at the new UCF Arena, the UCF men's basketball team will return to the hardwood on Friday, hosting Norfolk State. Tip-off at the new arena is slated for 7 p.m.
UCF (1-0) recorded a 63-60 victory over Nevada on Sunday in the first men's game at the state-of-the-art new UCF Arena. The Wolf Pack, who have played in four-straight NCAA Tournaments, entered the game receiving votes in both national polls.
Head coach Kirk Speraw's Knights will be looking to win their 16th-straight game during the month of November when they host the Spartans. Norfolk State enters Friday's contest 1-1 on the year.
The game will serve as UCF's final contest before starting the Old Spice Classic on Thanksgiving in Lake Buena Vista against No. 23 Villanova.
Tickets for the UCF-Norfolk State game are available at all Ticketmaster outlets and at the UCF ticket office at Bright House Networks Stadium. Season tickets are currently available by calling 407-UCF-1000.
UCF students are admitted free to all home basketball games with a valid school ID.
UCF-Nevada will be broadcast live on the UCF ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Team in Orlando. Scott Adams will have the call during the broadcast. Live audio and statistics will be available at www.ucfathletics.com. A live video feed will also be available on the web site.
THE COACHES
? Kirk Speraw (Iowa, 1980) is in his 15th season as UCF's head coach. He owns a 232-187 record at UCF. In his 18th year as a head coach, he has a 314-208 mark. In 2006-07, he was named the Conference USA Coach of the Year.
? Norfolk State's Anthony Evans (St. Thomas Aquinas, 1994) is in his first year as a head coach.
SERIES INFORMATION
? UCF has a 1-0 edge in the all-time series with Norfolk State after beating the Spartans, 63-47, on Dec. 16, 2005 at the old UCF Arena.
? Mike O'Donnell paced the Knights with 15 points and Josh Peppers and Justin Rose each chipped in with 12 points in the win. UCF limited the Spartans to just 38.8 percent shooting from the field. Calvin Brown led Norfolk State with 16 points. Norfolk State's Tony Murphy scored six points on 3-of-12 shooting overall.
? The win over the Spartans in 2005 gave UCF head coach Kirk Speraw his 200th-career victory.
? All-time, the Knights are 23-18 against squads from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.
ABOUT NORFOLK STATE
? The Spartans are 1-1 on the year after facing a pair of in-state foes. The squad opened the season with an impressive 72-69 win at Richmond on Nov. 10. On Tuesday, Norfolk State fell 80-67 at Longwood, despite shooting 51 percent overall.
? Norfolk State is led by senior guard Tony Murphy, who is averaging 24.5 points. He scored 29 points and hit the game-winning 3-pointer with two-tenths of a second remaining in the win at Richmond. Murphy connected on seven treys against the Spiders. He scored 20 points at Longwood.
? Senior center Larry Vickers is averaging seven boards per contest.
? The Spartans are beginning the season with five-consecutive road contests. After facing the Knights, Norfolk State will head west to play Nebraska on Tuesday.
UP NEXT FOR THE KNIGHTS
? The Knights will participate in the three-game Old Spice Classic in nearby Lake Buena Vista, starting Nov. 22. UCF opens the eight-team tournament on Thanksgiving Day against No. 23 Villanova. The game will be televised live nationally on ESPN2.
? UCF will play George Mason or No. 22 Kansas State on Friday, and then conclude the event on Sunday.
KNIGHTS OPEN ARENA IN STYLE
? The Knights opened the new UCF Arena in style on Sunday, posting a 63-60 victory over national power Nevada. The Wolf Pack entered the game receiving votes in both national polls.
? Dave Noel and Kenrick Zondervan paced the hosts with 14 points each. Noel added a game-high nine boards and Chip Cartwright came off of the bench to score 11 points and dish out six assists.
? The Knights led by 11 points with five minutes to play, but the Wolf Pack rallied. UCF secured the win when Marcelus Kemp's 3-point attempt fell short as time expired.
? UCF was the best shooting team in Conference USA a year ago, but struggled against the Wolf Pack. Still, UCF pulled out the win despite shooting 37.9 percent overall, 33.3 percent from deep and 50 percent at the free-throw line.
UCF HANDS WOLF PACK RARE LOSS
? UCF's win over Nevada was impressive on several fronts. The Wolf Pack, who have made four-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, went 29-5 overall last year and were ranked as high as No. 10 nationally.
? Nevada posted a 10-2 mark on the road in 2006-07 and lost just two games to non-league opponents (at UNLV and versus Memphis in the second round of the NCAA Tournament).
? The Knights and Nevada will meet again this season as UCF will travel to Reno for a Dec. 16 contest.
ON THE DEFENSIVE
? In UCF's season-opening win over Nevada, Dave Noel proved that he is a candidate for the 2007-08 Conference USA All-Defensive Team. During the game, the shooting guard contained Nevada's Marcelus Kemp, a preseason candidate for the Naismith and Wooden Awards.
? Kemp finished with 19 points, but shot just 8-of-22 from the field and 1-of-8 from deep. Noel and the Knights forced 18 Wolf Pack turnovers, with Kemp committing four.
PACKING THE HOUSE
? The third-largest crowd in school history was on hand to watch the Knights open the new UCF Arena against Nevada on Sunday. The attendance was listed at 4,668.
? A year ago, UCF averaged 2,706 fans per game. That mark was the highest average attendance in program history.
THIEF'S THEME
? UCF recorded 11 steals against Nevada, compared to just one for the Wolf Pack.
? Six Knights recorded at least one steal, with Chip Cartwright posting a team-best three swipes.
FLAVOR OF THE MONTH
? The Knights have won 15-straight contests in the month of November and are 22-2 during 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.
? In 2006-07, the team went 6-0 in November.
HOME BASE
? The win over Nevada last Sunday served as UCF's 50th victory at home since the start of the 2003-04 campaign. A year ago, the team went 15-1 at the old UCF Arena.
NON-LEAGUE LOVE
? The Knights have claimed nine-consecutive non-conference home games. In 2006-07, the squad went 8-0 in Orlando prior to Conference USA play.
SEASON-OPENING SUCCESS
? After topping Nevada on Sunday, UCF has won five-consecutive season openers. Under head coach Kirk Speraw, the Knights are 10-5 when making their season debut.
CAREER DAY FOR ZONDERVAN
? Kenrick Zondervan scored a career-high 14 points in the win over Nevada. The junior forward/center also grabbed five boards against the Wolf Pack.
? The contest served as the first career double-digit scoring effort for Zondervan. Last season, he averaged 3.9 points and 2.8 boards while starting 30 of UCF's 31 contests at center. As a freshman in 2005-06, he averaged just 2.5 minutes in 18 contests.
THE DISH
? Kenrick Zondervan was not the only Knight who had a career day versus Nevada. Playing a career-high 28 minutes off of the bench, Chip Cartwright scored 11 points and dished out six assists. He also posted four ebounds and three steals.
? In his first season at UCF after transferring from Angelina College in Texas, Cartwright averaged 2.5 points and 1.9 assists in 2006-07.
THE BENCH MOB
? In the win over Nevada, UCF's bench outscored the Wolf Pack's reserves, 17-6. Chip Cartwright paced the Knights' reserves with 11 points. Mike Battle scored five points in 27 minutes and Andre Thornton added one point off the bench in the victory.