Jan. 19, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will return to action Wednesday, playing its second-straight road game when the Knights meet host Houston. Tip-off from Hofheinz Pavilion for the Conference USA contest is 8 p.m. Eastern.
The Knights (9-8, 1-2 C-USA) will be looking to slow down the Cougars' (10-7, 3-1) Aubrey Coleman, who leads the nation in scoring at 25.0 points per game. Coleman is Houston's second-leading rebounder at 7.3 a contest and also is first nationally in steals per game (3.4).
Houston is 6-3 at home this year. The Cougars are coming off of a 74-55 win at East Carolina Saturday.
Since C-USA play began, sophomore guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) has picked up his scoring, averaging a team-best 14.7 points for UCF. At Tulsa Saturday, the point guard scored all of his career-high 19 points after intermission. Like Coleman, Rompza is among the nation's leaders in steals, ranking seventh at 2.9 per game.
The contest will air on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels will handle the play-by-play duties for the broadcast. Live audio of Daniels' call will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
UCF's next home game is Saturday against UTEP at 5 p.m. at the UCF Arena.
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.
UCF-Houston Series Information
? The Cougars lead the all-time series with UCF, 7-2, and have a 3-1 edge in Houston
? Last season, Houston took both contests against the Knights, including a 77-72 win at Hofheinz Pavilion on Feb. 12, 2009
? Jermaine Taylor scored 35 points for the Knights, but Aubrey Coleman (28 points) and Kelvin Lewis (22 points) were too much for UCF
? In two games versus the Cougars a year ago, Isaac Sosa averaged 11.5 points and connected on 5-of-9 3-point field goal attempts
? At Houston, Sosa scored 16 points and shot 4-of-7 from deep
Up Next for the Knights
? After two-straight road games, UCF will return home to host UTEP Saturday
? The Knights have a 3-2 edge in the all-time series, and have won both matchups versus the Miners in Orlando
Last Time Out
? A.J. Rompza scored a career-high 19 points, but it was not enough as the Knights fell 90-70 at Tulsa Saturday
? The Golden Hurricane, who had four players finish with double-figures in scoring, shot 54.4 percent overall for the contest
Approaching History
? In his 17th year with the Knights, Kirk Speraw has 273 victories at UCF and needs only two to become the winningest coach in program history
? Torchy Clark, who coached the Knights from 1969-83, won 274 games in Orlando, all at the club and Division II level
The Orlando 500
? Kirk Speraw has coached in 497 contests during his time at UCF
? The Knights' Jan. 27 tilt at SMU will serve as his 500th game with the Knights
Texas Three Step
? The contest at Houston is the first of three in Texas for the Knights during Conference USA play this year
? On Jan. 27, UCF will play at SMU, and the team will conclude the regular season on March 6 at Rice
? Since joining C-USA in 2005, the Knights have recorded at least one league win in Texas each year
Future Knight
? When the Knights head to Houston, it will give future Knight Kevin Brown a chance to watch his future teammates in person
? Brown, a 6-foot-2, 205-pound guard from Elsik High School, signed a National Letter of Intent with UCF in November
? As a junior in 2008-09, Brown averaged 16.0 points, 5.1 assists and 2.1 steals
No Three for You
? Last season, UCF was reliant on the 3-point shot as the Knights attempted 20.5 triples per game
? This season, the squad is scoring in different ways
? UCF is attempting just 15.2 3-pointers an outing
Triple Play
? After shooting 33.8 percent from deep in non-league play, the Knights are shooting 41.0 percent from 3-point range against Conference USA opponents
? UCF ranks third in C-USA games, connecting on 8.3 triples an outing
Bench Mob
? In Conference USA action, UCF's reserves are averaging 28.0 points, compared to 14.7 for the opponent's bench
? Both Isaac Sosa and P.J. Gaynor have come off the bench in all three of UCF's league games and are averaging 7.7 points in those contests
The Future Starts Now
? Underclassmen are responsible for 74.5 percent of UCF's points this year
? Freshmen and sophomores have also played 75.3 percent of the team's minutes
Man of Steal
? A.J. Rompza ranks seventh nationally in steals, averaging 2.9 per game
? The sophomore totaled 46 steals in 29 games last year, and already has 49 this season
? Rompza needs just 15 steals to enter the top-10 on the UCF single-season list
You Don't Know the Half
? At Tulsa last Saturday, A.J. Rompza entered the UCF locker room at halftime with zero points after missing his lone field goal attempt
? Despite playing just 12 minutes after intermission, Rompza scored all of his career-high 19 points in the second half
? The point guard shot 6-of-7 in the second half and made all three of his 3-point attempts
League Love
? A.J. Rompza has developed into UCF's top scoring threat in Conference USA play
? He is averaging 14.7 points in league action, good for ninth in the conference
? Rompza has scored in double-figures in all three of UCF's conference contests, and has scored at least 10 points in four-straight games
Trey Songz
? In three Conference USA games this season, A.J. Rompza has made eight 3-pointers
? Last season, the point guard appeared in 29 games as a rookie and made just 13 total triples during the campaign
Fantastic Freshman
? Marcus Jordan had one of the best performances of his freshman campaign last Wednesday, recording a season-best 19 points versus Marshall
? In his second collegiate start, Jordan shot 7-of-9 overall, made all three of his 3-point attempts, and also registered five rebounds, four assists and two steals in a career-high 31 minutes
? Jordan is averaging 6.2 points and 2.8 boards on the year, and has upped his scoring average to 9.7 in league play
New Kid on the Block
? Keith Clanton leads the Knights with 28 blocks, and ranks fifth in Conference USA in swats per game (1.6)
? A year ago, guard Jermaine Taylor paced the Knights with 24 blocked shots in 31 games