Sept. 2, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF announced its 2008-09 home non-conference schedule last week and fans of the program might be unfamiliar with several of the squads on the slate. Despite the unfamiliarity, UCF supporters will get to see some strong teams play at the new UCF Arena.
In November, head coach Kirk Speraw's team will head to Indiana to meet one of the nation's most consistent programs in Valparaiso. The Crusaders will complete the home-and-home series with a contest against the Knights on Dec. 22 in Orlando.
Coached by Homer Drew, Valparaiso claimed 22 wins in 2007-08 and participated in the inaugural Collegiate Basketball Invitational. The Crusaders posted a 72-71 win at Washington to open the postseason tournament. This season, the team will be led by forward Urule Igbavboa, who averaged 11.0 points and 7.3 boards last season. His rebound mark ranked second in the Horizon League.
The Knights are familiar with their Jan. 3 home opponent, Sam Houston State. Last season, the Bearkats escaped with a 60-58 overtime win over the visiting Knights, despite 22 points from UCF's Jermaine Taylor. Sam Houston State was receiving votes in the Associated Press Top 25 poll at the time.
In 2007-08, the Bearkats won 23 games, including victories over Texas Tech, Fresno State, Saint Louis and UW-Milwaukee.
Holy Cross, a program that competed in the NCAA Tournament two seasons ago, will venture south to face the Knights in Orlando on Jan. 6. The contest will serve as UCF's final non-league game of the year.
The Crusaders return three starters from last year's squad that won 15 games. Holy Cross was one of the nation's best defensive teams. The squad limited its opponents to only 60.5 points per game, good for 16th in the country.
Other games on the home schedule include a Dec. 6 matchup with cross-state foe USF a pair of contests at the UCF Holiday Classic (Dec. 29-30). Campbell, Chicago State and Penn are slated to participate in the tournament.
The Knights will open the regular season on Nov. 16, hosting North Carolina A&T at the new UCF Arena.
With the upcoming campaign almost here, new season ticket orders and renewals are currently being accepted by the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000.
Taylor, who averaged 20.8 points an outing last season, is UCF's top returning player. The senior shooting guard is a Conference USA Player of the Year candidate.
In the inaugural campaign at the new UCF Arena, the Knights won 12 home games last season.
UCF's complete schedule, which will include eight home C-USA contests, will be announced soon. Single-game tickets are slated to go on sale in the fall.
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.