EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The UCF men's basketball team couldn't have asked for a better start to the 2021-22 season as the Knights currently hold a perfect, 3-0 record headed into the latter weeks of November. They'll look to keep that undefeated record intact over the weekend as they travel to Evansville, Indiana for a game with the Purple Aces on Saturday, Nov. 20.
The game is set to tip off at 2 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
The Knights haven't put together a 3-0 start since 2017-18, when they opened played with four straight wins before going on to post a 19-13 overall record.
If UCF wins at Evansville on Saturday, it will be just the second time the Knights have opened a season 4-0 under Dawkins, and it will mark just the third time in the last decade and a half that it has happened (2010-11, 2017-18).
On the other side of the ball, Evansville is off to a 2-2 start to the 2021-22 campaign. They dropped their season opener. 65-43, to fellow AAC program Cincinnati, but the Purple Aces are fresh off a 69-58 win over Depauw.
Todd Lickliter is in his third season at the helm of Evansville. He is 11-31 all-time as the Purple Aces' head coach after leading his team to a 9-16 record in 2020-21. Saturday's game will mark the first meeting between UCF and Evansville.
Game Information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 20
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Not available
SOLID START
- The UCF men's basketball team opened the season with a 69-59 win over Robert Morris on Nov. 10 in front of 4,869 fans at Addition Financial Arena.
- UCF wasted no time establishing itself in the win over the Colonials—allowing the first basket of the night to Robert Morris and then going on a 14-2 run while hitting four of its first six three-point attempts (two each by Darius Perry and Darin Green Jr.).
- UCF followed up its stellar opening Knight victory with a 95-89 road win at Miami on Nov. 13, putting them at 2-0 to start the year for the first time since 2017-18.
- The Knights moved to 3-0 to start the year after fending off in-state foes Jacksonville, 63-54, in front of their home crowd in Orlando.
- Not much about UCF's victory over the Dolphins was easy. The Knights were outshot from the floor overall and from three-point range—and found themselves outrebounded 36-22. But 24 Jacksonville turnovers (to only eight for UCF), and a late 12-0 UCF run helped the Knights pull off the home win.
- The Knights have outscored opponents, 227-202, to open the season.
- UCF has hit 82.0 percent of its free throw opportunities, which leads the conference and is 12th in the nation to open the year.
- UCF is also ranked third in The American field goal percentage with a 45.5 clip.
GREEN IS GOOD
- Junior guard Darin Green Jr. debuted with a solid 14 points in 2021-22, including six from beyond the arc, to open the 2021-22 season with a win over Robert Morrison Nov. 10.
- He followed up the solid opening game with a team-high 23-point effort in UCF's 95-89 win at Miami on Nov. 13, and another team-high 11 points in the Knight's 63-54 win over Jacksonville.
- Green is averaging 16 ppg to open the season and is 9-for-19 (.474) on three-point tries through the team's first three games.
- Green was solid in year two for the Knights during the 2020-21 season, averaging 11.3 points per game, which ranked 17th in the conference and third on the team.
- The Charlotte, North Carolina product also led the Knights with 53 made 3-pointers in 2020-21 and ranked seventh in the league with 2.3 made threes per game.
- Green was also monumental in UCF's 86-74 win over then 15th-rated Florida State last season as he knocked down six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 20 points against the Seminoles.
- In his freshman season in 2020-21, Green 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.
DAWKINS ERA AT UCF
- Johnny Dawkins has made an immedate impact as head coach for the UCF men's basketball team, winning 94 games in five years at the helm.
- Dawkins is 94-60 since starting with the Knights in 2016, a win percentage of .610, the second best of any UCF coach (Torchy Clark, .754 from 1969-83).
- He has the third most wins over any UCF coach, trailing Clark's 274 and Kirk Speraw's 247 from 1993-2010.
- Dawkins has led UCF to its first NIT Final Four (2017), first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament (2019) and first NCAA Tournament win (2019).
- Prior to Dawkins' arrival at UCF, the program had won three games against ranked opponents from 1984-2016. Since Dawkins has taken over, the Knights have won five games against ranked opponents.
- UCF had never won two games against ranked teams in a single season, and the Knights did it in a span of five days, taking down no. 6 Houston and no. 19 Cincinnati late in the 2018-19 season.
- UCF is now 8-49 all-time against ranked opponents, but 5-15 against ranked teams under Dawkins.
WHO IS BACK?
- The Knights are among the leaders in the country with 97 percent of their points scored and 96 percent of their minutes played from the 2020-21 season returning for the upcoming season.
- Key returners suiting up for the black and gold again this season include Darius Perry, Brandon Mahan, Isaiah Adams, Darin Green Jr., Dre Fuller Jr., C.J. Walker, Jamille Reynolds and Sean Mobley.
- Each one of those players saw over 250 minutes of action for UCF last season.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SLATE
- Highlighted by home games against Michigan and Oklahoma, as well as matchups against Florida State, Miami, and Auburn away from home, UCF will play 11 non-conference games in total to open the year.
- Three of the Knights' 11 non-conference opponents are ranked in the AP Top 25 preseason poll in No. 6 Michigan, No. 20 Florida State and No. 22 Auburn.
- The Knights defeated then No. 15 Florida State at their place, 86-74, last season and took down Auburn, 63-55, to open the 2020-21 season at home.
- Home games at Addition Financial Arena will return to 100% capacity for the 2021-22 season.
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