Feb. 1, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
GREENVILLE, N.C. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will begin the month of February on the road when the Knights face East Carolina Tuesday. Tip-off for the Conference USA game from Minges Coliseum is 7 p.m.
Freshman forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) has led UCF (10-11, 2-5 C-USA) in scoring in three-straight contests. The former Orlando Christian Prep star totaled a game-high 17 points Saturday against Tulsa. He is averaging a team-best 11.6 points in C-USA play.
The Pirates are 7-14 overall and 1-6 in league games. Brock Young is the squad's top scorer at 14.9 points per game.
The game will air on the UCF-ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels' call will also be available at UCFAthletics.com.
UCF's next home contest is Feb. 13 against Tulane.
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-East Carolina Series Information
? UCF has a 10-1 advantage in the all-time series with the Pirates
? Since UCF joined Conference USA, the Knights are 8-1 against East Carolina
? The Knights have taken victories in four of their five visits to Greenville, with the lone loss coming last season when the Pirates claimed an 89-75 win on Feb. 7, 2009
? The teams concluded the 2008-09 regular season with a March 7 matchup in Orlando and Jermaine Taylor scored 27 of his game-high 36 points after intermission to help the Knights overcome a 17-point deficit and post a 74-71 victory
? UCF and East Carolina will meet again this year on March 2 at the UCF Arena
Up Next for the Knights
? UCF will have a bye on Saturday and then return to action on Feb. 10 at Memphis
? The contest will serve as the lone matchup this year between the Knights and Memphis
Last Time Out
? Keith Clanton scored a game-high 17 points Saturday, but it was not enough as Tulsa slipped past the host Knights, 55-50, at the UCF Arena
? Trailing by three points with 30 seconds to play, UCF had a chance to tie the game, but turned the ball over
That 70's Show
? The game at East Carolina will mark UCF's 70th Conference USA game since joining the league in 2005
? The Knights are 36-33 in C-USA contests
Road Trippin
? The game in Greenville will serve as the third of four-straight mid-week road games for the Knights
? Since Conference USA play began, UCF has played just one mid-week home contest (Jan. 13 vs. Marshall)
? UCF will not have another midweek game at the UCF Arena until Feb. 16, when the Knights host Houston on a Tuesday
? The team has only played back-to-back home games once in league action this year
Tar Heel State Tour
? The visit to Greenville will mark the 16th-straight year that the Knights have played a game in North Carolina
? In each of the last four campaigns, UCF has faced host East Carolina
? Since 1994-95, UCF is 14-6 in the state
? The Knights have won nine of their last 11 contests in North Carolina
Three the Hard Way
? Keith Clanton has led the Knights in scoring in three-consecutive games, averaging 15.7 points
? The forward began the stretch on Jan. 23 with a career-best 19 points versus UTEP, and then scored 11 points at SMU last Wednesday
? Against Tulsa on Saturday, he led all players with 17 points
? Clanton's stretch marks the only time this year that one player has led UCF in points in three-straight outings
? Last season, Jermaine Taylor had a run of 25-consecutive games where he paced the squad in scoring
Fab Freshmen
? A freshman has paced UCF in scoring in six of the squad's seven Conference USA contests this year
? Keith Clanton has led the team in points on four occasions, with Marcus Jordan leading in the other two games
? On the year, a rookie has led UCF in points nine times
Hometown Hero
? Keith Clanton arrived at UCF as the most heralded recruit in program history and the Orlando native has been solid for the Knights all year
? He has especially picked up his play since Conference USA action began in January
? The former Orlando Christian Prep star is averaging a team-high 11.6 points against league foes
? During the non-conference portion of UCF's schedule, Clanton averaged 8.8 points
? Clanton ranks third among all C-USA freshmen in scoring in league contests, trailing Tamir Jackson of Rice (13.7) and Hassan Whiteside of Marshall (13.1)
Swat Team
? Keith Clanton paces the Knights with 35 blocks, and needs just four to enter the top 10 on UCF's single-season swats list
? The rookie is averaging 1.7 blocks per contest, good for fifth in Conference USA
? A year ago, guard Jermaine Taylor paced the Knights with 24 blocked shots in 31 games
? Chuck Roberts (1993-94) and Dean Rossin (1978-80) are currently 10th on the school's single-season blocks list with 39 swats
Man of Steal
? A.J. Rompza has been racking up the steals as a sophomore
? The point guard ranks fifth nationally in steals per game at 2.9
? On Saturday, he recorded four steals against Tulsa
? Rompza totaled 46 steals in 29 games last year, and already has 60 this season
? He needs just four steals to enter the top-10 on the UCF single-season chart
? Cory Perry (1999-00) and Sinua Phillips (1990-91) currently occupy the 10th spot with 64 steals
On the Road Again
? Unlike most freshmen, Marcus Jordan has excelled on the road, where he is averaging 11.4 points
? In Orlando, Jordan is averaging just 5.1 points
? In road contests he is shooting 59.6 percent overall, and 53.8 percent from 3-point range
? Four of Jordan's six double-figure scoring performances have come on the road
The Dish
? Marcus Jordan dished out a team-high five assists versus Tulsa Saturday
? The five assists were a season-best for the freshman, who has led the Knights in assists in two-straight games
Welcome Back
? When Taylor Young started against Tulsa on Saturday, it marked the first start of the season for the junior
? Young is no stranger to the starting lineup though, as the start was the 29th of his career
? He started 27 contests last season, and averaged 3.3 points and 3.4 assists
? This year, the Orlando native is averaging 5.6 points