ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – The UCF men's basketball team has its sights set on the program's first ever win on the road at Memphis when the stout Knights defense goes up against the high powered Tigers offense Sunday, 4 p.m. ET at the FedEx Forum.
UCF (14-4, 5-1 AAC) has won seven of its last eight games and is coming off a pair of home wins against Houston and rival USF. In their first season under head coach Johnny Dawkins, the Knights have already won more games this year than in each of their last three campaigns.
The Knights are getting it done on defense, as they continue to lead the nation by holding their opponents to just 34.1 percent shooting from the field. UCF ranks third nationally by allowing just 58.6 points per game and second in rebounding with 44.4 boards per contest.
Memphis (14-5, 4-2 AAC) has also enjoyed success in its first season under a new head coach. Tubby Smith has the Tigers out to a hot start as well, already totaling 14 wins, including victories over Oklahoma and South Carolina.
The Knights lead The American in scoring defense, but it is Memphis that leads the league in scoring offense, averaging 78.4 points per game. The Tigers also lead the league with 17.3 assists and 7.4 steals per contest.
A Second Team All-Conference selection a year ago as a freshman, Memphis's Dedric Lawson is one of the top players in the league this season, scoring 20.1 points and leading the conference with 10.5 rebounds per game. Markel Crawford and Dedric's brother K.J. are also among the league leaders at 15.4 and 12.9 points per game, respectively.
A victory for the Knights on Sunday would give them a 6-1 record to start league play for the first time since 2003-04. That year the Knights started 11-0 in Atlantic Sun Conference play en route to a league title and NCAA Tournament appearance.
It would also be UCF's first ever win on the road at Memphis. The Tigers have won all 13 meetings between the two teams in Tennessee. The Knights have been within single digits on the road against Memphis just twice, a pair of six-point losses in 2010 and 2014.
Sunday's contest will air on CBS Sports Network with Tom McCarthy, Jordan Cornette and Gary Parrish on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on FM 96.9 The Game, the iHeart radio app and the UCF Knights app with Voice of the Knights Marc Daniels calling the action.
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