Jan. 8, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF head coach Kirk Speraw does not care what the national rankings say or don't say. In his opinion, Memphis is one of the premier squads in the country. To Speraw, it is perfectly clear why the Tigers will soon re-enter the top 25.
"They are playing great defense," he said. "They are actually playing better defense than last year. They might be a tougher team to beat than they were last year because they are so much better on the defensive end."
UCF (10-4) will face the Tigers Saturday at 5 p.m. at the UCF Arena for the Knights' Conference USA season opener.
The Tigers (11-3, 1-0 C-USA) showed their toughness defensively last night, limiting visiting Marshall to a 36.7 percent shooting effort in an 80-57 Memphis victory.
Speraw thinks that Memphis freshman guard Tyreke Evans, who leads the team with 16.5 points per game, is a lock for the National Basketball Association Draft lottery this spring. He also wants those in the Orlando area to know that UCF senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) will be one of the best players in the floor Saturday.
"People who come out are going to see one of the best teams in the country. They are going to see some of the best players in the country, with Jermaine being one of them," Speraw said.
Taylor leads C-USA, and ranks in the top-10 nationally, averaging 23.6 points. The Knights have won five-consecutive contests. The team also enters the game against Memphis with a 12-game home winning streak.
UCF Athletics is promoting the game as a Blackout. Fans are urged to wear black to the arena Saturday to support the Knights.
A UCF Basketball Outback Steakhouse Four-Pack is currently available for only $50 by calling the UCF ticket sales office at (407) UCF-1000. The four-pack offers the best seat available at the UCF Arena for the Memphis contest. The package also includes tickets to UCF's Conference USA games with SMU (Jan. 28), Houston (Feb. 4) and East Carolina (March 7).
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: The Knights lead C-USA, averaging 16.2 assists per game... The contest with Memphis will conclude a six-game homestand for UCF... The game will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports. Tom Hart will handle the play-by-play duties and Steve Lappas will provide color commentary... After taking Wednesday off, the Knights are scheduled to practice Thursday afternoon.