Nov. 18, 2008
VALPARAISO, Ind. (UCFAthletics.com) - Just one day after opening the regular season, the Knights embarked on their first road trip of the season Monday, traveling to Valparaiso, Ind. The team departed campus in the morning and flew to Chicago.
After arriving in the Windy City, UCF bused two hours to Valparaiso. The Knights will face Valparaiso Tuesday at 8 p.m. Eastern.
On Sunday, UCF opened the campaign with an 81-62 victory over North Carolina A&T at the UCF Arena.
The contest at Valparaiso will give freshman guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) the opportunity to play close to home. Rompza expects to have 50-60 family members and friends in attendance Tuesday.
Rompza is one of seven true freshmen and eight total rookies who are traveling for the first time with the Knights.
The temperature was in the mid-30s when the Knights landed in Chicago. After an hour and a half bus ride, UCF arrived in Valparaiso, greeted by snow flurries.
The contest against the Crusaders will start a stretch of five-straight games away from home for the Knights. UCF's next home game is slated for Dec. 6 against cross-state foe USF.
Tuesday's game will be aired on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando with Marc Daniels on the call. Live video, courtesy of the Horizon League Network, will be available on UCFAthletics.com.
Season tickets are still available. To order your season tickets today, and to learn more about the Fastbreak Club and other premium seating options, call 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.
Notes: After arriving in Indiana, the Knights headed to the Athletics-Recreation Center on the Valparaiso campus for a two-hour practice... UCF will be playing in Indiana for the first time in program history.