Feb. 9, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The Knights have faced all but two Conference USA squads this season. Past the midway point of his team's league schedule, head coach Kirk Speraw has no doubt that C-USA has improved from last season to this year.
UCF (15-8, 5-4 C-USA) is currently fifth in the league standings.
"I don't think there is a whole lot of difference between any of us," Speraw said. "I really don't. I think on any given night, there is not a whole lot of difference. With all of our young kids, I was worried, because I knew that everybody else was better. Our last two games were Houston and East Carolina. I don't see a whole lot of difference."
Eight of the 12 teams in the conference have winning records on the year.
Before the start of the season, C-USA's coaches preached to media members that as a whole, the league was better. The coaches were correct.
According to RealTimeRPI.com, six C-USA teams are listed among the top-125 rated programs in the country. The Knights come in at No. 125. Memphis (9), UAB (32), Tulsa (64), UTEP (87), Houston (91) and Southern Miss (100) are also prominent in the rankings.
C-USA is rated as the 9th best conference in the nation, which is one spot better than the league finished the 2007-08 campaign.
The Knights are scheduled to return to the hardwood Wednesday at UTEP. Tip-off from El Paso is set for 9 p.m. Eastern. The contest will be aired on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and 740 AM in Orlando.
After facing the Miners, UCF will host Tulsa on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena. With Valentine's Day set for Saturday, fans can purchase one ticket to the game, and receive a free ticket for their date. To purchase the UCF Valentine's Day promotion, call Ticketmaster at (407) 839-3900 or visit UCFAthletics.com.
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: Fans attending the Kirk Speraw Radio Show powered by Advance Auto Parts at Smokey Bones Bar & Grill in Waterford Lakes tonight will again have the chance to win two-round trip tickets to any location that Allegiant Air serves, courtesy of Orlando Sanford International Airport. The hour-long show begins at 6 p.m... The NCAA released the latest national statistical leaders on Monday afternoon and senior guard Jermaine Taylor (Tavares, Fla.) is sixth in the country in scoring at 24.0 points per game.