ORLANDO (UCFKnights.com) –The UCF men’s basketball team hasn’t won a conference championship since 2005, when the second seeded Knights won three games in three days to take home their fourth Atlantic Sun Conference title and earn an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
That was the last season UCF played in the A-Sun, and that was the last time the program reached the “Big Dance.”
All signs point towards UCF receiving its first ever at-large berth to the tourney on Selection Sunday, with most bracketologists predicting the Knights to be an eight seed heading into conference tournament play.
The only thing on the minds of the players and coaches, however, is what’s right in front of them. Winning the program’s first conference title in 14 years would be yet another moment to celebrate in a long list of celebrations since UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins took over three years ago.
The Knights have reached the NIT Final Four, they’ve defeated multiple ranked teams in one season, and this year they have won more regular season games than any Division I UCF team in history. The Knights are ready to go make more history this weekend.
UCF (23-7, 13-5) is the four seed and will take on the winner of fifth seeded Memphis (19-12, 11-7) and 12th seeded Tulane (4-26, 0-18). The quarterfinal matchup is scheduled for Friday at 2 p.m. with coverage on ESPN2 and FM 96.9 The Game.
GAME INFO
Date: Friday, March 15
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 96.9 FM/740 AM The Game
Live Stats: https://ucfknights.co/2TBTwfw
If the Knights win on Friday, they will advance to Saturday’s semifinal contest, which is set for a 3 p.m. ET tip on ESPN2. Sunday’s Championship is scheduled for 3:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.
NOTES TO KNOW
- The Knights need to wins to match the UCF Division I record for most total wins in a season (25, 2003-04)
- UCF’s 13 league wins are the team’s most since joining the American Athletic Conference
- UCF trails Memphis in the all-time series, 22-6, and split the season series with the Tigers
- The Knights lead Tulane in the series, 15-3, and won the only meeting between the two teams this season
- The furthest UCF has advanced in The American Tournament is the semifinals, back in 2016-17
- The Knights have won four conference tournaments in the program’s D1 history, winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament in 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2005
- UCF had the most all-conference selections of any team in the league as BJ Taylor was First Team, Aubrey Dawkins was Second Team and Tacko Fall was Third Team
CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE GAME NOTES – UCF AT AAC QUARTERFINALS