March 20, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
Complete Release in PDF Format
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will continue its quest for a postseason title Monday when the Knights host Rhode Island in the 2011 CBI presented by Zebra Pen quarterfinals. Tipoff at the UCF Arena is 7 p.m., and tickets start at just $5.
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster.com and UCFAthletics.com. Fans should make sure to arrive early to the UCF Arena Monday as UCF supporters who enter the building before 6:30 p.m. can enter to win seats on the extended UCF team bench courtside. Tickets for this special seating are valued at $75 each. Fans can enter to win at the UCF ticket sales table in the arena front lobby.
The first 500 UCF students at the arena Monday will receive free admission.
Last week, UCF opened the CBI with a 69-54 victory over visiting St. Bonaventure. The Knights (20-11) used a big run in the second half to pull away from the Bonnies. Sophomore guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) led the hosts with 18 points, while junior guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) added 13 points and a game-high seven assists off the bench.
Under new head coach Donnie Jones, the Knights have become just the sixth UCF team to hit the 20-win milestone since the program moved to the Division I level in 1984. The victory over St. Bonaventure was also UCF's first D-I postseason win. Rhode Island (20-13) rolled past Miami (Ohio), 76-59, to open the CBI Wednesday. The Rams were led by Delroy James who posted the first triple-double in Rhode Island history with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists.
The Knights are looking to advance to the CBI semifinals, which will be held Wednesday with opponents and game sites to be determined.
UCF-Rhode Island will air on the UCF Sports Network from IMG College and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels and former UCF star guard Mike O'Donnell will call all of the action, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30 p.m. Live video and statistics will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
Series Record First Meeting
? UCF and Rhode Island have never met on the hardwood
? The Knights last met a program from the Ocean in 2004 when they hosted Brown in the UCF Holiday Classic
A Milestone
? UCF's victory over St. Bonaventure Wednesday gave the Knights their 20th win of the year
? As a result of the milestone win, this season marks just the sixth time since joining the Division I ranks in 1984 that UCF has recorded a 20-victory campaign
20-20 Vision
? In only his first campaign at UCF, Donnie Jones has guided the Knights to a 20-win season
? The milestone is the second in a row for Jones, who led Marshall to a 24-10 mark a year ago
March Madness
? When UCF was selected to participate in the CBI on Sunday, it marked the first at-large bid into the postseason since the program moved to the Division I level in 1984
? UCF has participated in the NCAA Tournament on four occasions (1994, 1996, 2004, 2005), but claimed the Atlantic Sun Championship title each time to receive the league's automatic bid
Last Time Out
? The Knights used a 12-1 run in the second half to pull away for a 69-54 win over St. Bonaventure Wednesday in the CBI first round at the UCF Arena
? UCF shot 52.1 percent from the field for the game, and were led by Marcus Jordan, who scored 18 points
? The Knights limited St. Bonaventure to just 38.5 percent shooting after intermission
? The win over the Bonnies was the first postseason victory at the Division I level for the Knights
Non-League Love
? With the win over St. Bonaventure, UCF improved to 14-0 against non-league teams this season ? The Knights started the season by going 13-0 in non-conference play
Conference Call
? When UCF hosts the Rams, the Knights will be looking to go 3-0 against Atlantic 10 teams this year
? The Knights defeated host UMass on Dec. 22, and then opened the CBI with a win over St. Bonaventure
? Donnie Jones is 3-0 against A-10 programs as a head coach
Late Date
? The game against Rhode Island is set for March 21, which will serve as the latest date for a UCF basketball game in school history
? The previous latest date for a game came in 2004 when the Knights faced Pittsburgh in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Milwaukee on March 19
Bench Mob
? In the win over St. Bonaventure, UCF's bench accounted for 37 points, compared to just 10 points for the Bonnies
? A.J. Rompza scored 13 points off the bench, and fellow reserves Tom Herzog (10 points) and Isaiah Sykes (9) also had big games
Improvement
? Having recorded 20 victories in 2010-11 under new head coach Donnie Jones, UCF has already won five more games than the Knights did a year ago
? UCF's victory at Tulane on Feb. 16 allowed the Knights to surpass their victory total from a year ago
? Last year, UCF went 15-17 and did not win its 15th game until March 10 at the Conference USA Championship
Happy at Home
? UCF has excelled this season at home, as the Knights are 14-4 at the UCF Arena
? The Knights are 10-0 against non-league opponents at home in 2010-11
? The team has won four-straight games overall in Orlando, having topped Tulsa, Southern Miss, SMU and St. Bonaventure
Free Trade
? Marcus Jordan has connected on 164 free throws, good enough for a UCF single-season record
? Jordan leads Conference USA with 207 free-throw attempts and ranks seventh in the league in free-throw percentage (79.2)
Settle the Score
? Marcus Jordan has scored in double figures in 27 of UCF's 31 games this season, and has totaled at least 20 points eight times
? As a freshman, he had 11 double-digit scoring performances, with one over 20 points
Show and Improve
? The lone Knight to start every contest in 2010-11, Keith Clanton is showing off a well-improved game this season
? After earning Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors a year ago, Clanton is averaging 13.8 points and 7.8 boards per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the floor, good for seventh in the league
Welcome Back
? Entering the game against St. Bonaventure, Isaiah Sykes had played only 23 total minutes and scored one point in UCF's previous four contests
? Sykes certainly contributed in UCF's victory over the Bonnies as the freshman scored nine points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds in 22 minutes of action
? The nine points were the most for Sykes since he totaled 12 versus Furman on Dec. 29