Jan. 3, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The Knights are 13 games into the 2007-08 campaign, but have played outside of Florida only once, facing Nevada in Reno in mid-December. That fact is one of the many reasons that UCF's upcoming road trip will be difficult for the team.
The Knights begin the two-game road swing on Saturday, facing Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. The Bearkats boast the nation's second-longest home non-conference winning streak at 43 games.
This season, Sam Houston State is off to an 11-1 start. The squad is currently receiving one vote in the Associated Press Top 25 poll.
After playing the Bearkats, UCF will stay on the road and head to Mississippi. The team faces Southern Miss on Tuesday in the Conference USA opener for both squads.
The Golden Eagles were tabbed fourth in C-USA Preseason Coaches Poll and are 8-5 this season. Southern Miss is 5-1 at home.
"This is an extremely tough road trip. Sam Houston has one of the best winning streaks in the country at home," UCF head coach Kirk Speraw said. "Southern Miss is one of the favorites in our league. We've got to find some road toughness. We are going to play two good ballclubs."
UCF has played two road contests this season, having also faced USF in Tampa.
UCF's next home game is set for Jan. 12 against Tulsa. Tip-off at the new UCF Arena is slated for 7 p.m. Season ticket packages are still available by calling 407-UCF-1000.
Notes: On Thursday morning, several Knights took part in interviews at the new UCF Arena for upcoming UCF Sports Today with Kirk Speraw shows. The weekly, 30-minute program will make its season debut next Wednesday on Sun Sports. For the second-straight year, the program is being produced by the UCFAA Video Services staff.