ORLANDO – A win over ECU in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship Thursday night earned the UCF men's basketball team a matchup with Memphis in the quarterfinals Friday. The sixth-seeded Knights will take on the third-seeded Tigers 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT from Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, with coverage on ESPNU and FM 96.9 The Game.
UCF (11-11, 8-10) has won five in a row and seven of its last nine games, including Thursday night's 72-62 first-round triumph over the Pirates. The Knights advanced to The American Quarterfinals for their fifth time in seven all-time AAC Tournaments after holding ECU to just 18.8 percent shooting from the field on Thursday.
Friday will be the first tournament game for Memphis (15-7, 11-4), which earned a first-round by after finishing third in the regular season league standings. The Tigers had won six in a row before falling to Houston to end the regular season on March 7.
It will mark the second straight game that UCF is taking on an opponent for the third time this season, having lost both matchups with Memphis in 2020-21. The Tigers got the best of the Knights in a pair of games in Memphis on Feb. 1 and Feb. 3. UCF was the only team in The American to play an opponent twice on the road this season.
Memphis leads the all-time series over UCF, 26-6, and the Tigers have won each of the last four meetings between the two teams, but it's all even at 1-1 in AAC Tournament matchups. The Knights defeated the Tigers in the 2017 tournament in Hartford, while the Tigers won in the 2019 tournament in Memphis.
Game Information
Date: Friday, March 12
Time: 10 p.m. ET/9 p.m. CT
TV: ESPNU
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
Five Game Win Streak
- UCF has won five consecutive games after the first-round victory, and seven of its last nine heading into the American Athletic Conference Quarterfinals on Friday.
- The Knights offense is up, scoring 74.8 points per game during the streak - 7.3 more points per game than their season average (67.5).
- UCF has been more efficient, shooting 48.5 percent from the floor and 38.1 percent from 3-point range, compared to season averages of 43.3 percent and 35.9 percent, respectively.
- Even the free throw shooting has been better, hitting at 77.5 percent during the last five games, compared to 73.6 percent on the season.
- The Knights have also averaged 15.4 assists per game, as compared to their season average of 12.3 per contest.
Good From Long Distance
- The Knights are currently leading The American in 3-point shooting, hitting at a 35.9 percent clip on the season and rank third in the league with 7.9 made 3-pointers per game.
- There are three Knights who rank in the Top 13 in the conference in 3-point percentage. Temple, Houston and Memphis are the only other teams in the league that even have two players in the Top 13.
- Brandon Mahan - 3rd, 44.0
- Darius Perry - 6th, 38.3
- Darin Green Jr. - 13th, 36.6
- There are also three Knights in the Top 9 for made 3-pointers per game. This time only Houston has two players in the Top 9 in the category.
- Darin Green Jr. - 5th, 2.4
- Darius Perry - 6th, 2.3
- Brandon Mahan - 9th, 1.9
Perry Poised at Point Guard
- Senior grad transfer Darius Perry has been a leader for the Knights in his first season in Orlando, leading the way with 14.7 points per game, which ranks eighth in the league.
- The former Louisville Cardinal is averaging 17.1 points per game in his last 10 outings and was named third-team all-conference by The American following the regular season.
- He also leads the Knights and ranks 12th in the league with 3.3 assists per game. He has had at least two assists in each of his last 15 games played.
- The point guard was named to the AAC Weekly Honor Roll three times this year.
- Perry is shooting 85.5 percent from the free throw line, which ranks fourth in the league.
- He also leads the team and ranks 10th in the conference with 1.3 steals per game.
- His 10 made 3-pointers against Tulsa and Wichita State were the most made threes in back-to-back games by a Knight since Matt Williams had 10 against Houston and Memphis on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, 2017.
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