Jan. 7, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
Complete Release in PDF Format
HOUSTON, Texas (UCFAthletics.com) - After opening Conference USA play with a victory earlier in the week, the No. 19/18 UCF men's basketball team will take its perfect 14-0 record to Texas when the Knights meet Houston Saturday at 5 p.m. Eastern at Hofheinz Pavilion. Head coach Donnie Jones' Knights are one of only seven unbeaten teams in the country.
The Knights need just one victory to match their win total from a year ago when the squad went 15-17 prior to Jones' arrival.
UCF's current 14-game winning streak matches the top streak for the program since the school joined the Division I ranks in 1984. The 2003-04 squad claimed 14-straight games during the middle of the season.
Sophomore guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) leads UCF in scoring at 16.7 points per game. He totaled 26 points in the team's 65-58 victory over Marshall at the UCF Arena Wednesday. Sophomore forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) is averaging 15.9 points and a team-high 8.8 rebounds.
The contest in Houston will serve as UCF's second contest outside of Florida this year. On Dec. 22, the Knights played at UMass.
Under new head coach James Dickey, Houston is 7-1 at home in 2010-11. Adam Brown paces the team in scoring at 14.6 points an outing.
The game will air live on the UCF Sports Network from IMG College and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels will have the call live from Houston. Fans can watch video and listen to audio of the contest at UCFAthletics.com as part of the all-access plan.
UCF's next home game is set for Jan. 19 against East Carolina.
Series Record Houston, 7-4
Last Meeting UCF 68, Houston 65 (Feb. 16, 2010 in Orlando)
? The Knights have won two-consecutive games against Houston, most recently a 68-65 victory on Feb. 16, 2010 in Orlando, in which Marcus Jordan scored 18 points and A.J. Rompza dished out 10 assists
? In two games versus the Cougars last season - both UCF victories - Jordan averaged 20.5 points on 65.2 percent shooting
? A.J. Tyler also played well against Houston in 2009-10, averaging 15.5 points and 8.5 rebounds
? In the last matchup at Hofheinz Pavilion, Jordan shot 9-of-9 overall on his way to 23 points in UCF's 78-71 victory over the Cougars on Jan. 20, 2010
? During his three years as the head coach at Marshall, Donnie Jones went 1-2 versus Houston
? The game against the Cougars will serve as UCF's lone trip to Houston this season
? In each of the last five campaigns, the Knights played at both Houston and Rice
Last Time Out
? Marcus Jordan scored 26 points Wednesday as UCF opened Conference USA play with a 65-58 victory over visiting Marshall
? After the score was tied at 28 at the half, UCF limited Marshall to just 28.6 percent shooting after intermission
? The game at the UCF Arena was played in front of 9,094 fans, the third-largest crowd in program history
Recovery
? Highlighting the job that Donnie Jones has done in his first season at UCF, the Knights are the lone nationally-ranked squad that did not participate in the postseason a year ago
? UCF went 15-17 in 2009-10
Fast Forward
? UCF needs just one victory to match its win total from a year ago
? Last year, UCF did not win its 15th game until March 10 at the Conference USA Championship
Ratings Game
? The Knights are listed at No. 15 in the RPI according to RealTimeRPI.com (Jan. 7)
? Conference USA has six squads ranked in the top 100
A Super Start
? UCF's 14-0 start to the season is the best by a Conference USA team since Memphis won its first 26 games in 2007-08
? The Tigers went 38-2 that season and advanced to the national title game
Seventy Something
? Donnie Jones needs just one win claim his 70th career victory
? In his fourth year as a head coach, Jones is 69-41 overall
Run the Road
? UCF is 2-0 in road games this season, having posted wins at Stetson and UMass
? A year ago, the Knights went 3-9 on the road, with all three of the victories coming during Conference USA play
Block Party
? Last season, UCF totaled 95 blocked shots in 32 games
? Through only 14 contests this season, the Knights have recorded 100 blocks
? UCF ranks third in the nation in blocks per game at 7.1
? Tom Herzog (35 blocks) ranks 12th in the country with 2.9 blocks per game, and Keith Clanton (31 blocks) is 41st at 2.2
Point Taken
? Last season, on 17 occasions a player scored over 20 points against the Knights
? This year, UCF has done its best to contain high-scoring outbursts from its opponents as no player has totaled more than 20 points versus the squad
? Both Dan Mavraides of Princeton and Vernon Macklin of Florida recorded 20 points against the Knights
Sure Shot
? UCF enters the game against Houston 12th in the country in field-goal percentage at 49.6
? The Knights, who shot 44.2 percent from the field a year ago, have made at least 50.0 percent of their field goals in eight of 14 contests this season
Man of Steal
? On the season, A.J. Rompza leads the Knights with 19 steals
? The junior ranks seventh in program history with 146 career steals, just behind Ruben Cotton (1978-81/149)
The Dish
? Despite starting at power forward in all 14 of UCF's games, Keith Clanton ranks third on the team with 26 assists (1.9 per game)
? He has dished out at least three assists four times this season
It's Halftime
? Marcus Jordan's play in the second half is a big reason why the Knights won their last two games - against Marshall and Princeton
? In the two contests, he averaged 20.0 points on 68.8 percent shooting after the break, and shot 78.3 percent (18-of-23) at the free-throw line
? He totaled 18 points in the second half against Marshall, and began the stretch with 22 points after intermission versus Princeton
Share the Rock
? Marcus Jordan is doing more than just scoring for the Knights, as he is second on the team averaging 3.0 assists per game
? The sophomore has paced the team in assists on five occasions
The Sixth Man
? Despite coming off of the bench, Isaac Sosa is third on the team in scoring at 9.3 points per game
? Sosa, who is averaging 25.5 minutes, has paced the team in points on four occasions
? One of the top shooters in the country, he has hit 31 3-pointers in 2010-11, and is shooting 42.5 percent from deep, which ranks sixth among all players in Conference USA
Up Next
? UCF will return to action next Saturday at Southern Miss
? Last season, the Golden Eagles topped the Knights, 68-58, in Hattiesburg on Feb. 20
? The Knights will also host Southern Miss on Feb. 26