Feb. 15, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format
By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - On Tuesday, the UCF men's basketball team will welcome Houston, and the nation's leading scorer in Aubrey Coleman, to the UCF Arena for a Conference USA contest. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
The game will be televised live throughout the southeast on CSS and in the Orlando area on Bright House Sports Network.
Coleman is averaging 25.6 points per game and has scored over 30 points in a contest on six occasions this year.
On Saturday, sophomore guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) totaled a game-high 17 points as the Knights (12-12, 4-6 C-USA) posted a 62-54 victory over visiting Tulane. Rompza, who is averaging a team-high 10.5 points in C-USA play, ranks sixth in the country in steals per game at 2.8 (Coleman is first at 3.0).
The Knights have won eight contests at home this season. The game versus the Cougars (13-11, 5-5) will conclude a two-game homestand for UCF.
Houston is coming off of a 66-60 win over SMU Saturday in Houston. Kelvin Lewis made 7-of-16 attempts from 3-point range and totaled a season-high 29 points in the victory. He ranks sixth in C-USA in scoring (16.0 points per game).
Tickets for the contest start at just $5. Prior to the game, the UCF Arena box office will be open. UCF students are admitted free with a valid school ID.
Club seat tickets, which offer access to the exclusive Black and Gold Lounge, are available for only $35 at the box office or by calling (407) UCF-1000. In recognition of Mardi Gras, the lounge will feature a New Orleans-themed look, and special food and drink offers will be available. Club seat ticket holders will have the opportunity to win two passes to the Universal Studios Mardi Gras at halftime.
Matt Stewart and Brian Oliver will have the call on the CSS broadcast. The pair also worked UCF's game at Memphis last week.
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, and will be joined by former UCF standout guard Mike O'Donnell.
Live audio and statistics will be available on 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-Houston Series Information
? Houston has a 7-3 edge in the all-time series, and are 3-1 against the Knights in Orlando
? UCF won this season's first matchup, taking a 78-71 victory at Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston on Jan. 20
? Marcus Jordan made all nine of his field goal attempts and scored a career-high 23 points for the Knights
? UCF led by as many as 20 points in the second half, and held off a late Houston rally
? The Knights limited the Cougars to a 25.4 percent shooting performance for the game and won despite 30 points from Aubrey Coleman
? A.J. Tyler added 19 points and nine rebounds in the win, and David Diakite totaled 13 points and nine boards
? In three career contests against Houston, Isaac Sosa is averaging 10.0 points, and Tyler is averaging 9.3 points
? In last year's series matchup in Orlando, the Cougars posted a 97-69 win on Feb. 4, 2009
Up Next for the Knights
? The Knights are slated to visit Southern Miss Saturday for the only season matchup between the squads
? The all-time series is tied, 3-3
Last Time Out
? A.J. Rompza scored 17 points to help the Knights post a 62-54 win over visiting Tulane Saturday
? UCF trailed by eight points with nine minutes to play, but closed the contest with a 23-5 run
Employees of the Month
? After a tough January, the Knights have shot the ball much better in February
? The squad shot 41.3 percent overall in eight contests last month, and is shooting 47.3 percent in February
? After making just 36-of-134 (26.9 percent) of its tries from 3-point range last month, UCF has already connected on 20-of-48 (41.7 percent) of its triples in only three February contests
Changing Faces
? A different player has led the Knights in points in four-consecutive contests
? Keith Clanton started the stretch by scoring 17 points versus Tulsa on Jan. 30, and was followed by Taylor Young (16 at East Carolina, Feb. 2), A.J. Tyler (18 at Memphis, Feb. 10) and A.J. Romzpa (17 vs. Tulane, Feb. 13)
Youth Day
? In Saturday's win over visiting Tulane, underclassmen were responsible for 55 of UCF's 62 points
? Freshmen and sophomores were also responsible for all six of the team's 3-pointers, 11 of 14 assists and all 10 of the Knights' steals
Welcome Home
? The contest versus Houston will conclude a two-game homestand for the Knights
? The games against Tulane and Houston mark just the second time in Conference USA play that UCF has had back-to-back contests at the UCF Arena
The In Crowd
? A year ago, 70,244 (4,390 per game) fans attended 16 UCF home contests
? When UCF hosts Houston, that number should be surpassed
? In just 12 contests at the UCF Arena in 2009-10, 67,061 spectators have watched the Knights play
? The Knights are averaging 5,588 fans on the season, and 6,365 spectators in league action
? The school single-season attendance record is 78,253 (4,891 per game), established in 16 contests in 2007-08
The Best of Chicago
? Chicago natives and former high school teammates A.J. Rompza and Marcus Jordan have played well together in UCF's last two contests
? The Whitney Young High School graduates combined to average 22.5 points, 10.0 assists with just 2.0 turnovers and 5.0 steals in games against Memphis and Tulane
The Block is Hot
? Keith Clanton paces the Knights with 38 blocks, and needs just one 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
Handle with Care
? In his last five contests, Marcus Jordan has taken great care of the ball, dishing out 20 assists with just four turnovers for an impressive 5.0 assist-turnover ratio
? Last Wednesday at Memphis, Jordan recorded a career-best seven assists with no turnovers
? Jordan has paced the Knights in assists five times and is averaging 2.1 assists on the year
Do it All
? In addition to averaging 7.3 points, Marcus Jordan making contributions in other ways for the Knights
? The guard ranks second on the team with 31 steals, and is third in both assists (52) and blocks (9)
Thief's Theme
? A.J. Rompza ranks sixth nationally, averaging 2.8 steals
? In Conference USA action, he is tied for first with Houston's Aubrey Coleman in the category (2.7)
? Rompza totaled 46 steals in 29 games last year, and already has 67 this season
?The Chicago native is currently ninth on the UCF single-season steals register
The Score
? Last season, A.J. Rompza's main job was to get the ball to league player of the year Jermaine Taylor, who averaged 26.2 points
? As a result, Rompza averaged just 4.3 points to go with 5.2 assists an outing
? Without Taylor, the point guard is looking to score more this season and is averaging 9.5 points
? After making 29.5 percent of his field goals last year, he is shooting 43.9 percent overall in 2009-10
? He hit just 13 triples last season, and has 24 this campaign
? Rompza has scored in double-figures 13 times this season, compared to five times a year ago
Pass it On
? A.J. Rompza has played in just 53 games at UCF, but already is tied for ninth all-time at the school with 245 assists
? Bob Blackwood, who played from 1986-90, is eighth on the list with 253 assists
Shot Caller
? UCF's leading scorer on the season at 10.2 points, A.J. Tyler has shot the ball with great confidence in league play
? In Conference USA games only, he is fifth in the conference in field-goal percentage (50.5)
? Tyler shot 43.8 percent from the floor in non-conference play
The Blueprint 3
? In three games in February, Isaac Sosa has connected on 10-of-20 (50.0 percent) of his tries from deep, and has averaged 12.0 points, both good signs for the Knights
? He 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, who is averaging 9.9 points, has made 50-of-118 3-point tries in 2009-10, and his 3-point field-goal percentage (42.4) ranks second in Conference USA
? The sophomore has made 107-of-244 (43.8 percent) of his 3-point attempts as a Knight