Jan. 29, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - One of the top squads in Conference USA will visit the UCF Arena Saturday when the UCF men's basketball team hosts Tulsa at 5 p.m. The Golden Hurricane are 16-4 overall and tied for second in the league standings at 5-1.
The Knights (10-10, 2-4 C-USA) have not had back-to-back home games this month. UCF faced host SMU Wednesday and freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) led the way with 11 points and seven rebounds. Clanton is averaging 10.7 points in conference play.
Tulsa has won seven of its last eight contests. Ben Uzoh is the team's top scorer at 16.4 points per game. Jerome Jordan, the league's preseason player of the year, is averaging 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds.
Tickets for the contest start at just $5. The UCF Arena box office will be open before the game. All UCF students are admitted free with a valid school ID. Saturday will serve as Scout Day at the UCF Arena, with several fun activities planned for youngsters. For more information about the event, or to order group tickets, call (407) UCF-1000.
After the game, fans can remain on campus and attend the inaugural UCF Baseball Fan Fest. The free event, which begins inside the Venue at UCF at 7 p.m., will feature food, prizes and a chance to meet the 2010 Knights.
UCF-Tulsa will be televised live in central Florida on Bright House Sports Network. Bernie Guenther will handle the play-by-play duties, and will be joined by Mark Wise.
The game will air on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando, with Marc Daniels and former UCF standout guard Mike O'Donnell on the call. Live video and statistics will be available at 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.
UCF-Tulsa Series Information
? The Golden Hurricane have a 6-4 edge in the all-time series, but the Knights are 4-0 against Tulsa in Orlando
? The four series matchups at UCF have been decided by an average of less than five points
? In last year's contest at the UCF Arena, A.J. Rompza hit a jumper in the lane with less than a second remaining to give UCF a comeback victory over the Golden Hurricane
? The Knights trailed by 17 points with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game, but rallied as Taylor recorded 22 of his game-high 35 points after intermission
? On Jan. 16 of this month, four Tulsa players, led by Justin Hurtt with 22 points, scored in double-figures as the host Golden Hurricane rolled to a 90-70 victory over the Knights
? Rompza scored all of his career-high 19 points in the second half to pace the Knights
? In three career games against the Golden Hurricane, Rompza has averaged 10.0 points and 3.7 assists
Up Next for the Knights
? On Tuesday, UCF will travel to East Carolina to meet the host Pirates
? After the contest in Greenville, the Knights will have over a week until its next game - Feb. 10 at Memphis
Last Time Out
? SMU raced out to an early lead and then posted a 65-43 victory over the visiting Knights Wednesday in Dallas
? The Mustangs shot 52.5 percent overall and 44.4 percent from 3-point range for the contest
? Keith Clanton led the Knights with 11 points and seven rebounds
Fab Freshmen
? A freshman has paced UCF in scoring in five of the squad's six Conference USA contests this year
? Keith Clanton has led the team in points on three occasions, with Marcus Jordan leading in the other two games
? On the year, a rookie has led UCF in points eight times
The Score
? On only two occasions this season has the same player led the Knights in scoring in back-to-back games
? A.J. Tyler achieved the feat in November at the Glenn Wilkes Classic in Daytona Beach, totaling 19 points against Auburn, followed by 12 points versus Niagara
? Keith Clanton has led UCF in each of the Knights' last two games
? Last Saturday Clanton scored a career-best 19 points against UTEP
? He followed that performance with 11 points at SMU Wednesday
Welcome Home
? The Knights clearly enjoy playing at the UCF Arena, where the team is 7-3
? UCF is averaging 71.5 points in Orlando, compared to 62.1 points on the road
Crowded House
? So far this season, three of the six largest crowds in school history have been recorded
? UCF is averaging 5,531 spectators, up from 4,390 a year ago
? In UCF's last home contest, 6,413 fans were on hand last Saturday when the Knights hosted UTEP
? The crowd was the sixth-biggest in program history
It Takes Two
? Keith Clanton led the Knights in scoring in each of the team's last two contests, averaging 15.0 points against UTEP and SMU
? His 19 points versus UTEP a week ago were good for a career high
? Clanton shot 52.4 percent against the Miners and Mustangs
Man of Steal
? A.J. Rompza has been racking up the steals as a sophomore
? The point guard ranks seventh nationally in steals per game at 2.8
? Last Saturday, he recorded a career-high six steals against UTEP
? In Conference USA contests, Rompza is second in the league in the category (2.7)
? Rompza totaled 46 steals in 29 games last year, and already has 56 this season
Triple Play
? Isaac Sosa drained a pair of 3-pointers at SMU Wednesday, and now needs just three to reach the 100-triple mark for his career
? The sophomore has made 97-of-221 (43.9 percent) of his 3-point attempts as a Knight
? This season, Sosa is 40-of-95 (42.1 percent) from deep