Jan. 15, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. -
By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
PHOTO GALLERY
A loud near-capacity crowd of 9,460, world-renowned halftime performers, national television and the near upset of a 14-2 team made for one tremendously exciting evening of basketball at an electric UCF Arena on Wednesday.
Well before the game even started, Conference USA's most passionate students were lined up all the way around UCF Arena to secure the best seats and get one of 3,000 2010 Knightmare T-Shirts which made their debut for the contest. All of the 2,475 seats in the student section, plus an overflow allotment of 1,150 were filled before warm-ups were over as the Knightmare began cheering on the Knights and inhospitably getting into Marshall heads well ahead of the opening tip.
That energy soared around the black-clad building as the Knights raced out to a 44-35 lead over the Thundering Herd (14-2, 3-0 C-USA). The Knights shot 58-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, sending the crowd into a frenzy. A national viewing audience on CBS College Sports looked in on the event and saw a truly big-time atmosphere here in Orlando.
As the teams headed to the locker room after 20 minutes of play, the packed house was treated to world-class entertainment as the Blue Man Group came across town to perform live on the court. For a special treat, the famous troupe was joined by the UCF Marching Band, a first for the Orlando-based group. The Blue Man Group brought a couple of its less-messy stage props to UCF Arena, using their ultra close-up camera on both a trombone and in-game entertainer John Evans while also firing off the confetti cannons into the crowd.
Marcus Jordan would go on to add a career-high 19 points to lead UCF but the Thundering Herd proved to be a bit too much to overcome, led by NBA prospect Hassan Whiteside who recorded a triple-double. But, long after the 81-75 score is forgotten, the excitement of the evening will remain in the collective minds of 9,460 UCF fans and the team itself.
"We probably had the best fans since I have been here. Everyone showed up and they were enthusiastic about everything. We appreciate it," said point guard A.J. Rompza afterwards.
But, don't feel bad if you missed out. Just get on board for any of UCF's six remaining home games at UCF Arena, all crucial contests against Conference USA foes. The Knights will be home against UTEP (Jan. 23), Tulsa (Jan. 30), Tulane (Feb. 13), Houston (Feb. 16), UAB (Feb. 24) and East Carolina (March 2). For ticket information, log on to UCFAthletics.com or call (407) 823-1000.