March 3, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - The Knights concluded their inaugural campaign at the new UCF Arena on Saturday with a win over Rice. The contest was played in front of 5,606 fans, which ranked fourth on the school's single-game attendance register.
This season, a school record 78,253 spectators watched the Knights play 16 home contests at the new facility. A year after averaging 2,706 fans at the old UCF Arena, an average of 4,891 supporters watched UCF play in 2007-08.
Ten of the top-12 crowds in program history were recorded this year and a school record 7,097 fans were on hand when the Knights hosted Tulsa in the inaugural game at the new UCF Arena on Jan. 12.
UCF head coach Kirk Speraw was pleased with the Knights' attendance this season and expects the crowds to increase in the future.
"To have the attendance and the averages that we have had is tremendous growth from past years and is something that we are very appreciative of. That will continue to grow," he said. "Word is going to spread about this basketball program and this team."
UCF went 12-4 at home this season.
The Knights (16-12, 9-5 Conference USA) are currently fourth in the league standings with two games remaining. On Wednesday, the squad will play at Houston. The Cougars (21-7, 10-4) currently occupy the third spot in the conference.
The top-four teams at the end of the regular season receive a first-round bye at the C-USA Championship, which begins on March 12 in Memphis, Tenn.
Tip-off for Wednesday's game is slated for 8 p.m. EST. The contest will be broadcast on the UCF ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando.
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: Former UCF associate head coach Tom Schuberth attended the Knights' game with Rice on Saturday. Schuberth is currently the head coach at Texas-Pan Am. The Broncs finished the 2007-08 campaign 18-13. The 18 victories were the most of any Division I independent team in the nation... The contest at Houston will mark UCF's fourth trip to Texas this season. The team has already faced Sam Houston State, Rice and SMU... Junior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla./Tavares) needs just seven points to reach the 600-point mark for the season. Since UCF joined the D-I ranks in 1984, no Knight has scored more than 600 points.