CHARLESTON, S.C. - The UCF men's basketball team will begin the Gildan Charleston Classic against Mississippi State on Thursday, Nov. 17, at 5 p.m. on ESPN2. The Knights are one of eight teams competing in the three-day tournament at TD Arena in Charleston, South Carolina.
The bracket-format tournament features 12 games over three days. The teams compete once per day, advancing with a victory. The two teams that remain undefeated will face off in the championship game on Sun., Nov. 20.
Teams participating in the tournament include NCAA National Champion Villanova, as well as Boise State, Charleston, Mississippi State, UCF, UTEP, Wake Forest and Western Michigan. Additional information, including travel packages, can be found on the Gildan Charleston Classic website.
UCF will either face Boise State or Charleston on Friday, Nov. 18.
The 2016-17 season will be the first of the Johnny Dawkins era after being named the Knights' head coach on March 23. Dawkins comes to Orlando, after an eight-year stint at Stanford, where he led the Cardinal to five postseason appearances, including and NCAA Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2014 and four 20-win seasons.
| Date | Time | Game | Network |
| Nov. 17 | 11:30 a.m. | Western Michigan vs. Villanova | ESPN2 |
| 1:30 p.m. | Wake Forest vs. UTEP | ESPN3 | |
| 5 p.m. | Mississippi State vs. UCF | ESPN2 | |
| 7 p.m. | Boise State vs. Charleston | ESPN3 | |
| Nov. 18 | 1:30 p.m. | Semifinal #1 | ESPN2 |
| 3:30 p.m. | Consolation #1 | ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | Consolation #2 | ESPN3 | |
| 9:30 p.m. | Semifinal #2 | ESNPU | |
| Nov. 19 | 1:30 p.m. | 7th Place Game | ESPN3 |
| 3:30 p.m. | 5th Place Game | ESPN3 | |
| 7 p.m. | 3rd Place Game | ESPNU | |
| 9:30 p.m. | Championship Game | ESPN2 |