March 13, 2008
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Members of the UCF men's basketball team were excited Thursday morning as they stepped onto the FedEx Forum floor for a quick practice. After arriving in Memphis two days ago, gameday has finally arrived for the Knights.
UCF, the No. 4 seed at the Conference USA Championship, meets No. 5 Southern Miss in quarterfinal action tonight. Tip-off is set for 9:30 p.m. EST.
The Knights (16-14) finished fourth in the league standings, earning a bye for the first round of the championship. As a result, members of the team have had plenty for free time since arriving in Memphis on Monday afternoon.
While not practicing or watching film, players have passed time by visiting a local mall and watching other games at the championship. For players like freshman guard Taylor Young (Orlando, Fla./The First Academy), the trip to Memphis for the C-USA Championship is anything but usual. The Knights usually leave for road contests the day before the game.
"It is different getting here early. You want to play so bad," he said. "You just try to relax and enjoy the time that you have at the conference tournament and try to enjoy the experience."
Southern Miss (18-13) has won three-consecutive games. On Wednesday, the Knights attended the Golden Eagles 59-50 first-round victory over Rice. Young said the players enjoyed watching the game.
"It was fun. It was good to see them [Southern Miss] and their tendencies. We got to pay attention to their details and also enjoy the game."
UCF-Southern Miss will be televised live regionally on CSS. The contest will be broadcast on the UCF ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando, with Marc Daniels on the call. Live audio is also available on www.ucfathletics.com.
For the latest news and information on the Knights, tickets or apparel, log on to www.ucfathletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. Also check out www.ucfphotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
Notes: As mandated by C-USA, UCF spent only 25 minutes on the FedEx Forum floor for its practice on Thursday morning... The Knights are scheduled to watch No. 2 UAB face No. 7 Tulsa at 1 p.m. EST... UCF and Southern Miss met once this season with the Knights taking a 52-41 victory in Hattiesburg on Jan. 8.