ORLANDO – Looking for its first win since Dec. 22 against Cincinnati, the UCF men's basketball team is set to go back on the road this weekend, playing at 11th-ranked Houston Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on ESPNU and FM 96.9 The Game.
The Knights (3-4, 1-3) have lost three in a row, a losing skid that started with a home loss to then 6th-ranked Houston back on Dec. 26. UCF then went on the road and fell to rival South Florida, before pausing due to COVID-19 protocols. Their last time out, the Knights fell to Temple in Philadelphia, 62-55.
The Cougars (10-1, 5-1) lead the American Athletic Conference with just one loss, a 65-64 road defeat at Tulsa, immediately following Houston's win over the Knights. Since then, the Coogs have won three in a row, earning victories at SMU, at home against Wichita State and most recently at home versus Tulane.
Houston leads UCF 17-11 in the all-time series and by a mark of 8-5 in games played in Texas. The last time the Knights defeated the Cougars was in Houston late in the 2018-19 season.
Game Information
Date: Sunday, Jan. 17
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
Three-Game Skid
- After starting the season 3-1 with wins over Auburn, Florida State and Cincinnati, and receiving votes in both national polls, the Knights have lost their last three times out to then 6th-ranked Houston, rival South Florida, and most recently on the road to Temple.
- After averaging just 9.3 turnovers per game over its previous three games, UCF has turned the ball over 15.0 times per game in the three recent losses.
- The Knights have shot just 38.3 percent from the field and 31.4 percent from beyond the arc during the three-game skid.
Tough One at Temple
- After returning to play, the Knights struggled on the road against the Owls, shooting just 19-of-58 (32.8%) from the field for the game.
- The Knights went cold from beyond the arc in the second half, hitting just 1-of-8 attempts from long distance
- Darin Green Jr. and Isaiah Adams led the way offensively, scoring 17 points each in the loss.
- Dre Fuller Jr. led on the boards, grabbing a career-high 10 rebounds, while Brandon Mahan dished out a career-high seven assists.
- UCF allowed Temple to shoot over 40 percent from the field and from 3-point range in the game, and gave up a game-high 20 points to the Owls, leading scorer, redshirt freshman Damian Dunn.
Green Is Good
- Green Jr. made quite an impact as a true freshman last season. He was the team's second leading scorer with 10.1 points per game, and set a UCF freshman record with 68 made 3-pointers.
- He led The American with 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range and 2.3 threes made per game.
- Green currently ranks 11th in the league averaging 13.4 points per game.
- He is also fifth in the league with a 44.7 percent mark from long distance and seventh with 2.4 made 3-pointers per game.
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