ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team will play its first game away from home since Dec. 1 when the Knights travel to Oklahoma to take on the Big 12 Conference opponent Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. ET in Norman.
The Knights (9-2) have won six consecutive games, the last four in Orlando. UCF's last game away from Addition Financial Arena was a neutral site win over Charleston in Anaheim, Calif. The Knights' last true road game was a victory over Illinois State back on Nov. 17.
Oklahoma (7-3) welcomes UCF to town for the first meeting between the two programs. The Sooners have played their last three games on the road, losing each of the last two at AAC foe Wichita State and at Creighton.
OU is led by Lon Kruger in his eighth season in Norman. Kruger has had a pair of top scorers in 2019-20, as Austin Reaves has averaged 17.7 points per game and Kristian Doolittle has put up 17.2 points per contest.
The Knights' balanced attack is led by Collin Smith, who averages 14.3 points per outing, but lately, Ceasar DeJesus has increased his output, averaging 11.0 point per game on the season. The junior ranks fourth in the league, shooting 57.0 percent from the field.
GAME INFO
Date: Saturday, Dec. 21
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: FOX Sports Oklahoma/FOX Sports Atlantic
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
SETTING THE SCENE
- The UCF men's basketball team has won six consecutive games and has started 9-2 overall in non-conference action heading into Saturday's game at Oklahoma.
- It matches the Knights' start of 9-2 last season for the best 11-game start for the program in the last nine seasons
- Saturday is UCF's first game away from home since defeating Charleston in Anaheim on Dec. 1 and the first true road game since defeating Illinois State on Nov. 17.
- It's the final non-conference game on the schedule for the Knights, who will open up American Athletic Conference action on Dec. 31 against Temple.
COMEBACK AGAINST THE CATS
- The Knights had to come back from their largest halftime deficit of the season to defeat Bethune-Cookman at home on Wednesday.
- UCF trailed 34-21 at the break before coming back and winning by five to earn its sixth straight victory.
- Ceasar DeJesus led the way with 17 points on an extremely efficient 6-of-8 shooting from the field, improving his season field goal percentage to 57.0, which ranks fourth in The American.
- Both Collin Smith and Dazon Ingram sat for much of the first half due to foul trouble.
BALANCED ATTACK
- Through 11 games of the 2019-20 season, UCF has three players averaging double figures in scoring and seven averaging at least six points per game.
- Collin Smith leads the way with 14.3 points, while Ceasar DeJesus is scoring 11.0 points per game, and Dazon Ingram is at 10.0 points per game.
- Darin Green Jr., Dre Fuller Jr., Brandon Mahan and Frank Bertz are all averaging over six points per contest.
- Smith and DeJesus have led the Knights in scoring in each of the last seven games.
HAIL CEASAR
- Ceasar DeJesus led the Knights with a career-high 21 points in the win over Pepperdine and has scored in double figures in each of the last four contests.
- The junior guard has been extremely efficient from the floor, ranking fourth in the conference with a 57.0 field goal percentage on the season.
- DeJesus started every game of his freshman season in 2016-17, before taking a reserve role last season. This year, he has started 7-of-11 games, including the last five outings.
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