March 12, 2012
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Getting to the College Basketball Invitational tournament in 2011 represented a small step for the UCF men's basketball program. And qualifying for this week's NIT serves as another stride forward for the Knights.
The hope, of course, is that it all points to UCF ultimately making the leap to the NCAA Tournament this time next year.
UCF (22-10) earned its first-ever berth to the NIT where it will play third seed Drexel (27-6) Wednesday at 7:15 p.m. in Philadelphia.
The entry into the NIT means for a second consecutive season UCF registered at least 20 wins and qualified for the postseason. Head coach Donnie Jones sees the NIT berth as dramatic progress for the program.
``Our goal is the NCAA Tournament and that's where we all want to be. But you have to take steps to get there,'' Jones said. ``We've made big strides in two short years to put ourselves in a position to play in the postseason again. We want to keep our name on the (NIT) market because that helps in recruiting and helps us teach our kids what it takes to eventually get to the NCAA Tournament.''
The regular season and Conference USA tournament saw the Knights accomplish several milestones. UCF stunned defending national champion UConn in the Bahamas and then beat C-USA powerhouse Memphis for the first time in school history. The Knights went a school-best 16-1 at home and won on the road at SMU and UAB for the first time in school history.
And in the C-USA tourney, UCF earned the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye and then beat UAB for a third time this season to reach the semifinals of the tournament for the first time ever. Eventual champion Memphis eliminated the Knights from the C-USA tourney, but the focus remains on the many firsts the program accomplished this season.
``We beat the highest-ranked team in our history, beating UConn. We got to the semifinals of the conference and that was another first. And we beat UAB three times, the first time we had beaten them,'' Jones said. ``Our kids have made some great strides. Last year, playing in (the CBI) it was a great opportunity for us to play in the postseason and win a couple of games. Our guys understood the importance of playing in something like that and it helped our team grow this season.''
In Drexel, the Knights will be facing a red-hot team that felt it belonged in the NCAA Tournament rather than the NIT. The Dragons were 16-2 in league play and at one point won 19 games in a row and 25 of 27. Since the NCAA Tournament field expanded in 1985, Drexel's 27 victories are tied for the second most for a team that didn't make the tournament.
Drexel is 13-0 at the Daskalakis Athletic Center, which seats approximately 2,500 fans. The winner of the UCF-Drexel game will play No. 2 St. Joe's or No. 7 Northern Iowa.
Jones is looking forward to Wednesday's road game, knowing that the NIT experience will give his team another moment to prepare for the future. UCF reached the semifinals of the CBI last year and he is confident his team is ready to make another postseason run.
``It'll be a great challenge for our team and our kids are excited about the chance to play in the postseason,'' Jones said. ``To have this chance to still be playing, we're thankful. Because there are a lot of teams - look at UCLA and look at Pittsburgh - that aren't even in the NIT. To have an opportunity to be in this NIT field is a great opportunity for our program.''
John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.