Jan. 6, 2012
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
| UCF at East Carolina | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 7 |
| Time | 5 p.m. |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |
| Television | None |
| Radio | UCF IMG Sports Network - 740 AM |
| Internet Coverage | All Access | |
| Game Notes | UCF Notes |
| Social Media | @UCF_MBasketball | Facebook |
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - After opening Conference USA play with a victory earlier in the week, the UCF men's basketball team will be seeking a league road win Saturday when the Knights meet host East Carolina. Tipoff from Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum in Greenville, N.C., is 5 p.m.
The contest will air on the UCF IMG Sports Network and its flagship station, 740 The Game in Orlando. Marc Daniels will have the call from Greenville. Live video, audio and statistics will be available at UCFAthletics.com.
UCF (11-3, 1-0 C-USA) opened its league slate Wednesday with a 60-53 triumph over visiting Tulane. Junior guard Marcus Jordan (Chicago, Ill.) scored a game-high 19 points vs. the Green Wave.
Junior forward Keith Clanton (Orlando, Fla.) grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked five shots Wednesday. He needs only eight points to become the 15th player in UCF history to reach the 1,000-career point mark.
UCF has won three-straight games and is seeking its first true road win of the season.
East Carolina is 9-5 overall and 0-1 in league play. The Pirates are 7-2 at home this year. Miguel Paul leads the team in scoring at 15.9 points per game.
After facing the Pirates, the Knights will return to Orlando to host Houston Wednesday evening at the UCF Arena.
Series History
? UCF leads the all-time series 11-5, but the Pirates have won four-straight games against the Knights
? Prior to the current four-game winning streak for the Pirates, the Knights had won two-straight vs. East Carolina
? Last year, the Pirates went 3-0 vs. the Knights, including a 75-60 win in the Conference USA Championship opening round in El Paso
? UCF is 5-2 against the Pirates in Greenville
? In five career games against East Carolina, Marcus Jordan is averaging 11.8 points and 4.0 assists
? He totaled 24 points in the contest in Greenville a year ago, a 68-61 victory for the Pirates
? East Carolina also posted a 74-62 victory over the Knights in Orlando
? The Knights have played East Carolina 14 times since UCF joined C-USA in 2005, and the Pirates are UCF's most frequent opponent during that span
Last Time Out
? Marcus Jordan scored 19 points to help the Knights open Conference USA play with a 60-53 victory over Tulane at the UCF Arena Wednesday
? The Knights led for the majority of the contest and finished with a 43-32 edge on the glass
? UCF led by as many as 17 points after the break
Looking for a Road Win
? The Knights are looking for their first road victory of the season
? UCF has played only two true road contests in 2011-12, falling at No. 24 Florida State and Louisiana-Lafayette
? The Knights did win two of three games on a neutral court in November at the Battle 4 Atlantis in the Bahamas
? A year ago, UCF posted a 4-7 mark on the road, including a 2-6 record in Conference USA games
? The Knights will play eight C-USA away contests
Weekend Road Trips
? The game at East Carolina is the first of three-straight Saturday road tilts for the Knights
? UCF plays at Marshall next Saturday, then visits UAB on Jan. 21
? The Knights do not have a Saturday game at home until Jan. 28 when they host Southern Miss
Filling In
? Associate head coach Shawn Finney will guide the Knights against East Carolina
? He also led the Knights Wednesday vs. Tulane in Orlando
? Head coach Donnie Jones will be sitting out the second of three Conference USA games as part of a school-imposed penalty that was announced in November following an NCAA investigation
Start it Up
? After beating Tulane Wednesday, the Knights are looking to open Conference USA play with two-straight victories for the first time since 2007-08 when the squad started league action 4-0
? Last season, the Knights defeated Marshall in their C-USA opener, then dropped eight-consecutive games
The Half of It
? If UCF takes a lead into the break at East Carolina, expect the Knights to leave Greenville with a victory
? The Knights are 9-0 in 2011-12 when leading at halftime
No Freebies
? The Knights are doing a good job in limiting their opponent's trips to the free-throw line
? On Wednesday, Tulane attempted just six foul shots
? UCF's last two opponents, Tulane and Rhode Island, attempted a combined 14 free throws
? The Knights attempted 35 during that span
Eight is Enough
? Keith Clanton needs only eight points to become the 15th player in UCF history to reach the 1,000-point mark for their career
? Clanton has totaled 992 points in 79 contests as a Knight
? Only nine players have recorded over 1,000 points during their careers since UCF moved to the Division I level in 1984, with the last being Jermaine Taylor
? Taylor scored his 1,000th career point in his 82nd game at UCF as a junior in 2008
? He finished with a school D-I record 1,979 points
? Clanton already ranks 10th on the UCF D-I scoring chart
Climbing the Ladder
? At East Carolina, Keith Clanton should move to sixth on the UCF career rebounds list
? The junior has 606 boards, just two behind Mario Lovett (1996-01), who is sixth on the list
? With 12 rebounds vs. Tulane Wednesday, Clanton became just the seventh player in program history to grab at least 600 career boards
Point Blank
? Keith Clanton is not the only Knight approaching the 1,000-career point mark as Marcus Jordan needs 32 points to hit the milestone
? Jordan has appeared in 77 career contests and has 968 points
Seeing Double
? Marcus Jordan has scored in double digits in all 12 games played this season
? He has four 20-point contests during the span
The Return
? A.J. Rompza made an immediate impact in his first two games this year, wins over Rhode Island and Tulane
? The senior is averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 steals in 28.5 minutes of action
? The point guard missed UCF's first 12 games of the year while serving an NCAA-mandated suspension
Up Next
? UCF will return to action Wednesday in Orlando against Houston
? The contest will serve as the lone season matchup between the Knights and the Cougars