Dec. 3, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - When the Knights host cross-state foe USF Saturday at 7 p.m., sophomore guard Taylor Young (Orlando, Fla.) and his teammates will be happy to be home. During the last two weeks, the squad played five games away from campus, traveling to three different states and one foreign country.
Young, who believes that team plays better at the UCF Arena, anticipates the Knights receiving great support Saturday.
"This year, besides the exhibition, we have had one home game and the crowd really helped us," Young said. "The fans are huge, especially for the team. I think we are a group that feeds off the crowd and hopefully Saturday we have a good crowd."
A year ago, the Bulls held on for a 75-67 win over UCF in Tampa before an announced crowd of 4,031 fans. Several UCF fans made the trip across the state to the Sun Dome, but the number was limited because the football team hosted Tulsa in the Conference USA Championship Game earlier in the day.
USF has not played the Knights in Orlando since the 2001-02 campaign. The meeting Saturday will mark the second-straight season that head coach Kirk Speraw's squad has welcomed a BIG EAST opponent to the UCF Arena. The Knights faced Connecticut in Orlando last year.
As Young mentioned, the Knights have competed in just one home contest this season. The team opened the 2008-09 campaign on Nov. 16, posting an 81-62 win over North Carolina A&T behind 28 points and 10 rebounds from senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.).
Season tickets, which begin at just $99, are still available. To order your season tickets today, and to learn more about the Fastbreak Club and other premium seating opportunities, contact the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000.
The first 2,000 UCF students to enter the arena on Saturday will receive a free Knightmare t-shirt. Students are admitted free with a valid school ID.
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: UCF-USF will be televised live in the southeast on CSS. Locally, Bright House Sports Network will air the contest... After returning from a pair of games at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico Monday evening, the Knights practiced on campus for the first time in over a week yesterday.