Dec. 14, 2010
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
Complete Release in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - One of only 14 undefeated squads in the country, the UCF men's basketball team will host Louisiana-Lafayette Wednesday at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena. The Knights, who are 8-0 under new head coach Donnie Jones, are receiving votes in both national polls.
The 8-0 start is the best for the program since UCF moved to the Division I ranks in 1984, and the top overall since 1979-80 when Torchy Clark's team started the season with 15-straight victories. Thanks to the impressive start, the Knights are garnering 62 votes in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll, placing the team unofficially at No. 26. UCF is also receiving 12 votes in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll.
The Knights have been led by a pair of sophomores - forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) and guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.). Clanton is averaging 15.6 points and 9.1 rebounds, while Jordan is averaging a team-best 16.3 points.
Season ticket and mini-plan packages are still available for the 2010-11 campaign by calling (407) UCF-1000. The UCF Arena box office will be open prior to Wednesday's game. UCF students are admitted free to all home games with a valid school ID.
The contest will air on the UCF Sports Network from IMG College and its flagship station, 740 The Game. Marc Daniels will have the call and will be joined by former UCF standout guard Mike O'Donnell. Live video will be available on UCFAthletics.com.
Series Record Louisiana-Lafayette, 8-1
Last Meeting UCF 65, Louisiana-Lafayette 52 (Dec. 11, 2007, in Orlando)
? The Ragin' Cajuns have an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series, but the Knights won the most recent matchup, 65-52, on Dec. 11, 2007, at the UCF Arena
? UCF limited Louisiana-Lafayette to just 13 field goals, and the Knights were led by Jermaine Taylor, who totaled a game-high 18 points
? Elijiah Millsap, who played at UAB a year ago, scored 13 points, all at the free-throw line, in the losing effort
? UCF and Louisiana-Lafayette were league opponents from 1990-92 in the American South and Sun Belt Conferences
? Louisiana-Lafayette head coach Bob Marlin went 2-1 against UCF during his time as the head coach at Sam Houston State
? In Marlin's lone visit to UCF, the Knights defeated Sam Houston State, 86-70, in Jan. 3, 2009
? UCF has already defeated one program from Louisiana this year as the Knights eased past visiting Southeastern Louisiana, 74-49, on Dec. 4
Last Time Out
? Tom Herzog logged 17 minutes, all in the second half, and scored 14 points and blocked a school-record tying eight shots to lead the Knights to a 76-59 victory over visiting Bethune-Cookman Saturday
? UCF led just 38-36 at halftime, but with Herzog's help, limited the Wildcats to only 23 points on 32.1 percent shooting after intermission
What a Start
? Donnie Jones has started his tenure at UCF in incredible fashion, as his Knights are 8-0 in 2010-11
? With another victory, Jones will have sole possession of the best start by a first-year UCF head coach
? Torchy Clark, who began the UCF program in the late 1960s, also opened his UCF career with eight-consecutive victories in 1969-70
Making it Look Easy
? The Knights rank second in the country, behind Kansas (27.4), in victory margin at +26.1
? UCF has won five of its eight games by at least 25 points
? In 2009-10, UCF won by over 20 points just once, a 24-point victory over visiting Liberty
On the Defensive
? UCF boasts one of the nation's top defenses as the Knights rank second in the country in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 53.4 points per game
? The Knights are also third nationally in field-goal percentage defense (35.1)
On Target
? UCF enters Wednesday's game ranked second in the country in field-goal percentage at 52.9
? The Knights, who shot 44.2 percent a year ago, have made at least 50.0 percent of their field goals in seven of eight contests this season
Block Party
? A year ago, UCF totaled 95 blocked shots in 32 games
? Thanks to the additions of Tom Herzog (20 blocks) and Dwight McCombs (9), and the improvement of Keith Clanton (13), UCF has already registered 58 blocks in just eight contests in 2010-11
? The Knights rank fourth in the country in blocks per game at 7.3
Home Runs
? UCF's current six-game winning streak at the UCF Arena is the second-longest for the Knights since the facility opened in 2007
? The longest home streak occurred during the 2008-09 campaign when the team won its first eight home contests
In the Lead
? UCF has not trailed entering halftime this season
? The Knights have taken some big advantages into halftime, as the squad led West Florida by 29, Jackson State by 31 and Alabama State by 20
? UCF's smallest halftime lead came on Saturday when the Knights went into intermission up 38-36 against Bethune-Cookman
Swat Team
? On Dec. 4, Keith Clanton matched a school record with eight blocks in UCF's win over Southeastern Louisiana
? In UCF's following game, a victory over Bethune-Cookman Saturday, Tom Herzog matched the performance by recording eight swats
? UCF blocked 11 shots in each of the games
Accuracy Counts
? Keith Clanton has been incredibly accurate with his shot this season as the sophomore ranks 22nd in the country in field-goal percentage (59.7)
? The forward has even shot well from deep, as he has made 8-of-12 (66.7 percent) of his 3-point tries
Up Next
? UCF will head to south Florida to meet Miami in the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic on Saturday at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise