ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) – Following wins over Tulsa and East Carolina to get back over .500 in American Athletic Conference play for the first time since Feb. 4, the UCF men's basketball team heads back on the road to take on Temple, Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
The Knights (17-10, 8-7 AAC) earned their first road win of 2017 on Saturday when they defeated East Carolina 61-58, sweeping the season series against the Pirates. UCF is now 2-5 on the road in conference play, heading into a tough environment in Philadelphia.
The Owls (14-14, 5-10 AAC) have lost three of their last four, including a 78-64 defeat at East Carolina on Feb. 15. Temple most recently dropped a heartbreaker at home to UConn, falling 64-63 on a game-winning shot by the Huskies' Jalen Adams.
The last time UCF and Temple met, back on Dec. 31, the Knights defense dominated the Owls en route to a 77-53 victory at CFE Arena. UCF held Temple to an American Athletic Conference record low of 11 points in the first half and earned the program's largest margin of victory ever in an AAC contest.
In that win for the Knights, senior Nick Banyard was successful off the bench, scoring seven points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Not quite as good as he was this past week, however, as he earned a spot on the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll.
In wins over Tulsa and East Carolina, Banyard averaged a double-double with 18.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game in a starting role. The senior shot an astounding 80.0 percent from the floor and a perfect 100% (7-for-7) from three-point range.
Now at 8-7 in league play, the Knights are a half-game behind Memphis for the fifth spot in conference standings. The top five teams will earn a bye to the quarterfinals of the 2017 Frontier Communications American Athletic Conference Championship.
Wednesday's game will air on ESPNU with Ted Emrich and Malcolm Huckaby calling the action. Fans can also listen to the game on FM 96.9 The Game, the iHeart radio app and the UCF Knights app with Marc Daniels on the call.
Following Wednesday's game, the Knights will be back to CFE Arena for the final regular season home game of the season. UCF will host No. 15 Cincinnati Sunday at 3 p.m. on Senior Day. Matt Williams, Nick Banyard and Tank Efianayi will be recognized prior to tip-off.
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