ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team returns home looking to get back in the win column as the Knights host Memphis Wednesday evening at Addition Financial Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. with coverage on ESPNU and FM 96.9 The Game.
The Knights (11-8, 2-5) had won back-to-back games in league play before falling on the road at Wichita State on Saturday. UCF looks to earn its third victory in the last four games on Wednesday, against a Memphis (14-5, 3-3) that has lost its last two times out.
The Tigers lost at Tulsa on Jan. 22 and then lost at home to SMU, 74-70, on Saturday. Head Coach Penny Hardaway's team recorded wins over Ole Miss, NC State and Tennessee during non-conference play, but is just 3-3 in league action.
While UCF has had success against the Tigers recently, winning five of the last seven games against Memphis, the Knights trail the Tigers 23-6 overall in the all-time series. The last three contests between the two teams in Orlando have been won by the Knights.
Wednesday is a white-out for UCF fans in attendance, so fans are encouraged to wear white to the game.
GAME INFO
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
SETTING THE SCENE
- UCF comes into Wednesday's matchup with Memphis having recently had its two-game winning streak snapped on the road at Wichita State.
- The Knights had defeated Tulane and South Florida in back-to-back games, their first two conference wins of the season.
- UCF, which had only defeated Memphis once in the first 22 meetings between the two teams, aims for its sixth victory over the Tigers in the last eight matchups on Wednesday.
RECENT SUCCESS AGAINST TIGERS
- Beginning on Feb. 4, 2017, UCF has defeated Memphis in six of the last eight meetings.
- The Knights won four in a row during that span, including their first win against the Tigers in Memphis, a 68-64 victory at FedEx Forum on Feb. 11, 2018.
- Last season, the two teams split the regular season series with each squad winning on its home court.
- Memhpis won 77-57 in Bluff City on Jan. 27, while the Knights won 79-72 in Orlando on Feb. 16.
- The Tigers then got the better of UCF in the American Athletic Conference Tournament, winning 79-55 in a quarterfinal matchup.
STOPPED BY SHOCKERS
- The Knights couldn't extend their win streak to three games this past weekend, falling at Wichita State by a score of 87-79.
- The Shockers took advantage of UCF's foul trouble, as Collin Smith and Avery Diggs played a combined 22 minutes with a total of nine personal fouls.
- The Knights had success with a small lineup of five guards, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Shockers' 45-28 advantage on the boards.
- The freshman duo of Darin Green Jr. and Tony Johnson Jr. had success off the bench, going for 18 and 16 points, respectively, each knocking down 4-of-8 attempts from 3-point range.
HAIL CEASAR
- Ceasar DeJesus is second on the team in scoring and has scored in double figures in 10 of the last 12 games for the Knights.
- The junior guard has been extremely efficient from the floor, ranking ninth in the conference with a 51.6 field goal percentage on the season.
- During league play, he ranks ninth in the conference with 3.6 assists per game and eighth with a 1.7 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- DeJesus started every game of his freshman season in 2016-17, before taking a reserve role last season. This year, he has started 15-of-19 games, including the last 13 outings.
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