Nov. 13, 2011
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
| UCF (1-0) at Florida State (1-0) | |
| Date | Monday, Nov. 14 |
| Time | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Tallahassee, Fla. | Donald L. Tucker Center |
| Television | ESPN3 (Tom Block, Mark Wise) |
| Radio | UCF IMG Sports Network - 740 AM (Marc Daniels) |
| Internet Coverage | All-Access | |
| Game Notes | UCF |
| Social Media | @UCF_MBasketball | Facebook |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will meet Florida State for the first time since 1988 Monday evening at the Donald L. Tucker Center in Tallahassee. The contest will begin at 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN3.
UCF opened the campaign with a 74-61 victory over visiting Saint Thomas Saturday. Junior forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) led the Knights with 18 points and six blocks, and sophomore guard Isaiah Sykes (Detroit, Mich.) totaled 15 points, six assists and three blocks.
After advancing to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament a season ago, the Seminoles are receiving votes in both national polls. Florida State opened the year with a 79-67 victory over visiting Jacksonville Friday. Michael Snaer and Deividas Dulkys each scored 16 points in the win. Last month, Florida State was picked to finish third in the preseason ACC poll.
The Knights will be seeking their first win over Florida State as the Seminoles have an 8-0 edge in the all-time series.
The game will air live on the UCF IMG Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels will have the call live from the state capitol.
ESPN3 is available online only for free. Online registration through cable television and/or high speed internet service providers is required to watch ESPN3 content. Tom Block will handle play-by-play on the broadcast, and will be joined by color commentator Mark Wise.
Series History
? UCF and Florida State will be meeting for the first time since Dec. 28, 1988, when the Seminoles rolled to a 97-64 victory over the Knights as part of the Red Lobster Classic at the Orange County Civic Center in Orlando
? The 1988-89 campaign marked UCF's fourth year as a Division I program
? The UCF-Florida State matchup in 1988 was played in front of 5,792 fans and the Knights were led by Ken Leeks, who totaled 16 points and 10 rebounds
? The Seminoles were ranked 10th nationally at the time and were paced by Tony Dawson (20 points) and George McCloud (19 points) ? UCF is 0-5 against the Seminoles in Tallahassee
? The Knights will be playing in the state capitol for the first time since Dec. 7, 2002, when they met host Florida A&M
? UCF is looking for its second win over an ACC program in as many years
? On Dec. 18, 2010, the Knights defeated Miami, 84-78, at the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Classic in Sunrise
Last Time Out
? UCF pulled away midway through the second half to post a 74-61 victory over visiting Saint Thomas Saturday in the season opener for the Knights
? Keith Clanton totaled a game-high 18 points, and Isaiah Sykes chipped with a career-best 15 points to go with a career-high six assists as he started for the second time as a Knight
? UCF shot 50.0 percent overall, and forced 22 Bobcat turnovers
? The season-opening win was the ninth-straight for UCF
A Busy Start
? The Knights will be playing for the second time in three days when they meet the Seminoles
? UCF opened the regular season Saturday with a 74-61 victory over Saint Thomas
? Only eight players saw time against the Bobcats, and four Knights logged over 30 minutes in the win, the Knights will not be well rested when they meet Florida State
? In his UCF debut, Tristan Spurlock played 37 minutes Saturday, Keith Clanton and Isaiah Sykes both logged 35 minutes and rookie Rod Days played 31 minutes
New Faces
? Only three returning players - Dwight McCombs, Keith Clanton and Isaiah Sykes - saw action in UCF's season-opening win over Saint Thomas
? Five Knights made their UCF debuts Saturday: transfers Jeff Jordan and Tristan Spurlock and freshmen Rod Days, Wayne Martin and Kasey Wilson
? Three of UCF's preseason projected starters - P.J. Gaynor, A.J. Rompza and Marcus Jordan - did not play against the Bobcats
Swat Team
? UCF recorded a school-record 14 blocks in Saturday's win over Saint Thomas
? Keith Clanton totaled six blocks, Isaiah Sykes recorded a career-best three blocks, Dwight McCombs and Tristan Spurlock each had two swats and Wayne Martin added one block in his college debut
UCF-Florida State Connections
? The Knights have not faced Florida State since the 1980s, but one UCF player has suited up against the Seminoles
? UCF redshirt sophomore Tristan Spurlock spent his freshman year at Virginia and played five minutes against visiting Florida State during an ACC regular-season contest
? Spurlock totaled five points in a losing effort
? Florida State guard Luke Loucks is familiar with the UCF program as his brother Jacob played in 23 games for the Knights as a reserve forward in 2006-07
? Current UCF strength and conditioning coach Ben O'Donnell was a walk-on point guard at Florida State during the 2007-08 campaign, when he played in eight games
? O'Donnell then transferred to UCF, and played for the Knights in 2009-10
A First Date?
? The Knights could meet Florida State again this month as the teams are both participating in the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas
? The Knights will open the event on Thanksgiving day with a contest against College of Charleston
? UCF will meet either defending national champion UConn or UNC-Asheville the following day
? Florida State will begin the tournament with a contest against UMass, and will then play Harvard or Utah
? The Knights or Seminoles could meet in the championship game on Nov. 26, or in consolation play that same day
History with the Seminoles
? Donnie Jones is certainly familiar with the Florida State program
? During his time as an assistant at Florida from 1996-07, Jones and the Gators posted a 7-4 mark against Florida State
Sunshine Staters
? The Knights have won seven-straight games over in-state teams
? Last season, the Knights claimed six victories over programs from Florida
Hitting the Road
? The game at Florida State will serve as the earliest true road contest in school history
? Last season, UCF did not play a road game until Nov. 23 when the Knights headed to nearby DeLand to face Stetson
? The previous earliest road game for the Knights came on Nov. 18, 2004, when the team opened the year at Alaska-Fairbanks as part of the BP Top of the World Classic
Up Next
? UCF will return home to host High Point Friday evening at the UCF Arena
? The programs will be meeting for the first time
? High Point competes in the Big South, and UCF is 40-16 all-time against current Big South programs
? Current league members include Campbell and Gardner-Webb, who the Knights competed against in the Atlantic Sun