Sept. 16, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Two years ago, members of the UCF men's basketball team enjoyed their trip to Puerto Rico when the Knights competed at the San Juan Shootout. UCF won a pair of contests at the event, including a victory over Utah.
UCF will again leave the continental United States this season when the squad participates in the Cancun Challenge in late November. The trip to Mexico will mark the Knights' third trip outside the contiguous 48 states since 2004.
UCF will face South Dakota State on Nov. 29 in Cancun, and will then meet Morehead State the following day. The team's contest at New Mexico (Nov. 22) is also part of the event.
In its first year, the Cancun Challenge is a 10-team event. Teams will play games from Nov. 16-26 at campus sites, and then go to Cancun for a pair of games at the end of the month. Central Arkansas, The Citadel, Drake, Grambling, Vanderbilt and Virginia Commonwealth are the other programs participating in the event.
In Cancun, games will be played at the Moon Palace Resort.
In addition to the trip to Puerto Rico in 2006, UCF played in the BP Top of the World Classic in Fairbanks, Alaska, in 2004. The Knights claimed the tournament title after defeating Alaska-Fairbanks, Utah State and New Mexico State.
Since Kirk Speraw took over as UCF's head coach in 1994, the Knights have played in events outside of the continental United States three times. During the 2000-01 campaign, UCF played in the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Tournament on the island of O'ahu.
UCF fans looking to watch the Knights play in Cancun can book travel packages through Triple Crown Sports by calling (970) 223-6644.
UCF is scheduled to begin the regular season on Nov. 16 against North Carolina A&T at the new UCF Arena. Season tickets are currently available through Ticketmaster or by logging onto UCFAthletics.com. For information about luxury seating options, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.