Jan. 17, 2012
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
| UCF vs. Memphis | |
| Date | Wednesday, Jan. 18 |
| Time | 8 p.m. |
| Location | Orlando, Fla. | UCF Arena |
| Television | CBS Sports Network |
| Radio | UCF IMG Sports Network - 740 AM |
| Tickets | Single-Game | Season |
| Game Notes | UCF Notes |
| Social Media | @UCF_MBasketball | Facebook |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF men's basketball team will host Conference USA power Memphis Wednesday for a key league contest at 8 p.m. at the UCF Arena. Both the Knights (13-4, 3-1 C-USA) and Memphis (12-5, 3-0) are near the top of the C-USA standings.
UCF has won 15-consecutive home games entering Wednesday's contest, which is presented by SunTrust.
The Knights have been led recently by senior guard A.J. Rompza (Chicago, Ill.) and sophomore forward Isaiah Sykes (Detroit, Mich.). Rompza ranks first in the conference in assists (5.5) and steals (4.5) per game in league play. Sykes, who totaled 21 points and 14 rebounds last Wednesday in a home win over Houston, is averaging 14.5 points and 9.3 boards against C-USA opponents.
The Tigers, who have won six-straight contests, have spent time in the top 25 this season and three of their five losses have come to nationally-ranked teams. Memphis returns all five starters from last season's squad that won the C-USA Championship title and participated in the NCAA Tournament, including Will Barton, who paces the conference in scoring at 18.2 points per game.
Tickets for the contest will be available Wednesday outside the arena at the box office. Season ticket packages are still available by calling (407) UCF-1000 or by visiting UCFAthletics.com. UCF students are admitted free with a valid school ID.
A large crowd is expected for the contest and fans should arrive early to avoid traffic and also enjoy UCF Baseball Fan Fest. The event starts at 6:15 p.m. inside The Venue at UCF, which is located behind the UCF Arena, and will include food and activities. Parking is available for $5 in Garage D and Garage H. If those garages are full, fans can park in the E lots next to Bright House Networks Stadium.
The game will be televised live nationally on CBS Sports Network. Dave Ryan is slated to handle the play-by-play and will be joined by Pete Gillen on the broadcast.
UCF-Memphis will air on the UCF IMG Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels will have the call and Taylor Young will provide color commentary. Live statistics will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
Series History
? Memphis has won all 10 series matchups with the Knights, including three games in Orlando
? A year ago, the Tigers defeated UCF twice, including a 63-62 win at the UCF Arena on Feb. 9, 2011
? UCF was up by two points in the final seconds and poised to beat the Tigers for the first time, but Antonio Barton hit the game-winning 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds to play
? The Knights led for all but the final three seconds of the final 16 minutes of the game
? Memphis also posted a 77-61 victory over the Knights last year at FedEx Forum
? Memphis and UAB are the lone Conference USA squads that the Knights have never defeated
? UCF and Memphis will meet at the FedEx Forum on Feb. 28
Last Time Out
? In the latest chapter in what has developed into Conference USA's top rivalry, UCF fell 65-64 Saturday at Marshall in front of 8,379 spectators at the Cam Henderson Center
? The Knights, who saw their five-game winning streak come to an end, had the chance to win the game with four seconds left, but Marcus Jordan's layup attempt came up short
? The thrilling contest featured 13 lead changes and seven ties
? UCF led by one point with 49 seconds to play when Keith Clanton (14 points, eight rebounds) tipped in a Jordan miss, but the Thundering Herd took the lead back with 14.5 seconds to play when DeAndre Kane hit two free throws
Welcome Home
? UCF has won 15-consecutive home games dating back to last season
? The Knights' last loss at the UCF Arena came on Feb. 9, 2011 - a 63-62 defeat to Memphis
? This year, UCF is 10-0 at home
? UCF is averaging 69.5 points at home in 2011-12, compared to 63.7 points in road and neutral contests
A Better January
? A year ago, the Knights raced off to a 14-0 start, recorded impressive non-league wins over No. 16 Florida, Miami, USF and Princeton and entered the national rankings for the first time in program history
? The team clearly peaked during non-conference play as UCF lost eight-straight games after opening Conference USA action with a win over Marshall
? UCF went 1-7 during the month of January last season
? This year, the team is already 3-1 during the month, having recorded wins over Tulane, host East Carolina and Houston
Getting to the Glass
? In league games, UCF ranks second in Conference USA in rebounds per game at 43.0, just behind Marshall at 43.8
? The Knights averaged 37.6 boards in non-league play
? UCF owns a +8.5 rebound margin against C-USA foes
? During last Wednesday's win over Houston, UCF grabbed 27 offensive rebounds, which ranked fifth on the C-USA single-game register
? UCF has two of the top five rebounders in league play as Keith Clanton is third in the conference grabbing 9.8 boards per game and Isaiah Sykes is fifth at 9.3
Care Package
? A.J. Rompza leads Conference USA, averaging 5.5 assists in league games
? The senior is taking care of the ball as he has recorded 22 assists in conference contests with only four turnovers
? Rompza boasts an incredible 5.5 assist-turnover ratio in league games, good for first in C-USA
? In UCF's last three games, Rompza registered 18 assists with only one turnover which is an impressive feat considering the senior played 114 of a possible 120 minutes in those contests and handles the ball every UCF possession
Invitation to a Block Party
? Keith Clanton needs only three blocks to move to first on the UCF career swats list
? The junior has 138 blocks, and Ken Leeks is first on the list with 141 blocks from 1988-92
? Clanton is averaging 1.9 blocks (fourth in C-USA) on the year, and 2.8 blocks (second in C-USA) in league play
Conference Confidence
? Isaiah Sykes is playing with great confidence in conference play, as he is averaging a team-high 14.5 points against league opponents
? Sykes has stepped up his game in league play across the board, as he is also averaging 9.3 rebounds in C-USA contests
? Sykes ranks second in C-USA play in offensive rebounds at 5.0 per game and grabbed 11 offensive boards last Wednesday vs. Houston
? He averaged 11.2 points and 5.8 rebounds in non-conference play this year
Dynamic Duo
? Thanks to Marcus Jordan and Keith Clanton, UCF is the only team in Conference USA that has two players averaging at least 15.0 points per game overall
? Jordan is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, followed by Clanton with 15.3 points
? Jordan is second in the league in points per game, with Clanton ranking seventh
Joining the Club
? In each player's 80th career contest, Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan both recently joined UCF's 1,000-career point club
? On Jan. 7, during the second half of the team's win at East Carolina, Clanton became the 15th player in school history to reach the 1,000-point mark
? Jordan joined the group during the second half at Marshall on Saturday
? Clanton ranks 14th in program history with 1,040 points, while Jordan has 1,002 career points
? Before Clanton, the last player to hit the mark was Jermaine Taylor, who scored his 1,000th career point in his 82nd game as a junior in 2008
? Taylor finished with a school D-I record 1,979 points
Man of Steal
? A.J. Rompza is averaging 4.5 steals in Conference USA games to lead the league
? The senior ranks third in program history with 182 career steals
? Cory Perry (1996-00) is second with 205 steals
Up Next
? The Knights will play a Saturday road game for the third-straight week when they face host UAB in Birmingham this weekend
? UCF is seeking its first win over the Blazers as UAB has a 7-0 edge in the all-time series
? Fox Sports Net will televise the game, which will begin at 2 p.m. Eastern