Dec. 29, 2012
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By Doug Richards
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - UCF will renew an old rivalry tonight when it faces Belmont in the UCF Holiday Tournament championship game at 7:30 p.m. The contest at the UCF Arena will mark the first meeting between the programs, who both competed in the Atlantic Sun Conference in the early 2000s, since 2005.
The Knights advanced to the title game thanks to a strong defensive effort in a 62-45 victory over Howard Friday. No Howard player scored more than 10 points as UCF improved to 8-3 on the year.
Belmont is 9-3 and topped Boston University, 64-48, Friday. The Bruins, who have made two-straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, own impressive victories over Stanford, Middle Tennessee and South Dakota State. Two of Belmont's losses came to worthy foes on the road against VCU and No. 9 Kansas.
UCF and Belmont met nine times from 2002-05 and the Knights have a 6-3 edge in the all-time series. The Knights are 3-1 against the Bruins in Orlando and the squads will be meeting inside the UCF Arena for the first time. The programs last met on March 4, 2005, and UCF held on for a 66-61 victory in Nashville in the A-Sun Championship semifinals.
Under head coach Rick Byrd, who is in his 27th year with the Bruins, Belmont has won at least 20 games in seven of the last nine years. The school in its first campaign competing in the Ohio Valley Conference.