Feb. 12, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After nearly knocking off host Memphis earlier in the week, the UCF men's basketball team is back home to face Tulane Saturday in a Conference USA game at 4 p.m. at the UCF Arena. The contest, which will be televised live nationally on CBS College Sports, is presented by Contemporary Construction.
On Wednesday, junior forward A.J. Tyler (Palm Harbor, Fla.) scored a game-high 18 points as the Knights (11-12, 3-6 C-USA) came up just short at Memphis, falling 76-70. UCF had a lead with seven minutes to play, but the Tigers escaped with the win.
Tyler has averaged 14.0 points in the Knights' last two games and paces the squad in scoring at 10.4 points per game. UCF's two highly-touted freshmen, forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) and guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.), totaled 12 and 10 points, respectively, against the Tigers. Clanton is averaging 10.6 points in conference play. Jordan, who dished out seven assists with no turnovers Wednesday, is averaging 10.2 points against league foes.
The Knights will be playing at home for the first time since Jan. 30.
Tulane is 7-16 overall and 2-8 in the league. The Green Wave are led by Kris Richard, who is averaging 13.2 points.
Tickets for the contest start at just $5. The UCF Arena ticket office will be open before the game. Club seats, which offer upgraded food and beverage service, are also available for the game. UCF students are admitted free to all home games.
Tom Hart is set to call the contest on CBS College Sports, and will be joined by Steve Lappas on the broadcast.
The UCF-ISP Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando, will also air the game with Marc Daniels on the call. Live statistics and audio 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-Tulane Series Information
? The Knights have a 4-2 edge in the all-time series with Tulane, and are 4-1 against the Green Wave since joining Conference USA in 2005
? UCF is 2-0 against Tulane in Orlando, and has won two-straight games overall in the series
? The squads last met on Jan. 31, 2009, in New Orleans, and the Knights recorded a 79-74 win in overtime behind 28 points from Jermaine Taylor
? A.J. Rompza scored 13 points and dished out five assists in the win, and Isaac Sosa and A.J. Tyler came off the bench to score 12 and 10 points, respectively
? In the last series matchup at the UCF Arena, the Knights eased to an 80-63 victory on Feb. 27, 2008
? The Knights have won the two games in Orlando over Tulane by an average of 19 points
Up Next for the Knights
? UCF will conclude its two-game homestand Tuesday against Houston
? Earlier this year, the Knights posted a 78-71 victory over the Cougars in Houston
Last Time Out
? The Knights nearly became just the second Conference USA squad in the last five years to win at Memphis, but were unable to record the big victory as the Tigers escaped with a 76-70 triumph at FedEx Forum Wednesday
? UCF had a lead with seven minutes to play in the contest, and trailed by just two points with two minutes to go
? A.J. Tyler shot 8-of-12 overall and led all players with 18 points
? The Knights shot 53.1 percent overall and recorded 21 assists on 26 made field goals
Fab Freshmen
? A freshman has paced UCF in scoring in six of the squad's nine 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
Flavor of the Month
? During the month of January, the Knights struggled offensively, averaging 63.5 points while shooting 41.3 percent overall and 26.9 percent from 3-point range
? UCF has found its shooting touch in February, shooting 47.5 percent from the field and 45.2 percent from deep while averaging 68.5 points in two contests this month
The Return Home
? The game against Tulane will serve as the Knights' first home contest since Jan. 30
? Three of UCF's last four games were away from Orlando, including two in a row
Crowded House
? Thanks to an exciting, young squad, attendance is on the rise at the UCF Arena this season
? The Knights are averaging 5,631 fans at home, compared to 4,390 a year ago
? In Conference USA play, an average of 6,676 spectators have seen UCF play
? Four of the top-10 crowds in program history have already been recorded this year, including the second-largest attendance (9,460 vs. Marshall on Jan. 13)
Fantastic Freshman
? The most highly-touted recruit in program history, Keith Clanton has picked up his game in Conference USA play, averaging 10.6 points against C-USA foes, compared to 8.8 points in non-league action
? The former Orlando Christian Prep star has scored in double-figures in six of nine conference contests
Swat Team
? Keith Clanton paces the Knights with 36 blocks, and needs just three to enter the top 10 on UCF's single-season swats list
? The rookie is averaging 1.6 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
Taking Care of the Rock
? In 29 minutes at Memphis Wednesday, Marcus Jordan recorded a career-best seven assists with no turnovers
? In UCF's last four games, Jordan recorded 16 assists and only two turnovers for an impressive 8.0 assist-turnover ratio
? Jordan has paced the Knights in assists four times and is averaging 2.1 assists on the year
It Takes a Thief
? A.J. Rompza has been racking up the steals as a sophomore
? The point guard ranks fifth nationally in steals per game at 2.8
? He has recorded at least four steals in a game on eight occasions
? Rompza totaled 46 steals in 29 games last year, and already has 64 this season
?The Chicago native is currently tied for 10th on the UCF single-season steals register
Fantastic February
? UCF's leading scorer this season at 10.4 points, A.J. Tyler has excelled this month
? After totaling a game-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting at Memphis, the junior is averaging 14.0 points on 59.1 percent shooting and 7.5 boards in February
? Tyler has started all 23 contests and has paced the Knights in points a team-high six times
? In 2008-09, his first year competing with the Knights after transferring from Clemson, Tyler made nine starts and averaged 7.1 points
The Return
? Isaac Sosa struggled with his shooting touch in January, as he shot just 21.4 percent from 3-point range and averaged 5.5 points during the month
? Sosa has found his touch as he has made 7-of-14 (50.0 percent) of his tries from deep in February
? At Memphis, he shot 3-of-6 from 3-point range and finished with nine points
? Sosa, who is averaging 9.7 points, has made 47-of-112 (42.0 percent) of his 3-point tries in 2009-10
? The sophomore has made 104-of-238 (43.6 percent) of his 3-point attempts as a Knight
Head Start
? Taylor Young entered the UCF starting lineup on Jan. 30 against Tulsa and has given the Knights more stability on both sides of the court
? Young scored a career-best 16 points at East Carolina last week and is averaging 8.3 points and 4.0 assists in three contests as a starter
? The Orlando native is no stranger to the starting lineup as the redshirt junior made 27 starts in 2008-09
? He is averaging 6.0 points this season, after scoring 3.1 points a contest a year ago