ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team returns to the road on Thursday, taking on East Carolina for the first time this season. Tipoff between the Knights and the Pirates is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Minges Coliseum with coverage on ESPN3 and FM 96.9 The Game.
The Knights (11-10, 2-7) have lost three in a row, most recently falling to rival South Florida for the first time in 10 meetings on Saturday. UCF looks to get back in the win column against ECU (9-13, 3-6), a program the Knights have also had plenty of success against recently.
UCF has defeated ECU in seven consecutive matchups and holds an advantage of 21-9 in the all-time series. The last time the Pirates defeated the Knights was in an overtime win in the first round of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship.
The Pirates welcome UCF to Greenville having lost back-to-back games against Houston and Temple, but hold league wins over Tulane, SMU and South Florida. ECU sits one game ahead of UCF in the conference standings.
GAME INFO
Date: Thursday, Feb. 6
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
SETTING THE SCENE
- After starting the season 9-2, the UCF men's basketball team has lost eight of its last 10 games, holding an overall record of 11-10 and a league mark of 2-7 heading into Thursday's game at East Carolina.
- The Knights won back-to-back games at Tulane and at home against South Florida, before losing to Wichita State, Memphis and the Bulls on the road in the last three games.
- UCF will look to continue its string of wins over the Pirates on Thursday, having won seven straight games over ECU.
EATING AGAINST EAST CAROLINA
- UCF owns a 21-9 advantage over East Carolina in the all-time series between the two teams, which dates back to 2000 when the Knights won 88-81 in Orlando.
- The Black and Gold came out on top in the first nine games, with ECU's first victory over UCF coming on Feb. 7, 2009, an 89-75 win in Greenville.
- The Pirates still trail the all-time series in Greenville, 9-4.
- The Knights have won each of the last seven games between the two teams, beginning with a road win on Jan. 2, 2016 and continuing through last season's lone matchup.
- The last time ECU defeated UCF was March 12, 2015, an 81-80 overtime win in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship.
LAST YEAR AGAINST THE PIRATES
- Last season, UCF and ECU faced off just one time, as the Knights defeated the Pirates 76-65 in Orlando on Jan. 13.
- The Knights led 38-26 at the break and held on in the final 20 minutes, holding the Pirates to under 40 percent shooting from the field and just 26.3 percent from 3-point range.
- Collin Smith had 12 points and led the Knights with eight rebounds in that victory, going 5-for-7 from the field in just 21 minutes of action.
- ECU's Jayden Gardner, who leads The American in scoring this season, blew up for 35 points and 20 rebounds in the defeat last year.
HOLDING THE LEAD
- When the Knights have had the lead in the second half, it's been rare that they give it up.
- UCF is 9-1 on the year when leading with 10 minutes to play and 9-1 when leading with five minutes to play in the game.
- When the Knights have the lead with two minutes to go, they are a perfect 8-0 on the season.
- Conversely, when UCF is trailing with 10 minutes to play, the team is just 3-8 and when trailing with two minutes left, just 3-10.
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