ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF men's basketball team will look to keep its undefeated start to the season going on Saturday as the Knights are back at Addition Financial Arena in Orlando for a clash with Oklahoma. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+ and Marc Daniels will be on the call on FM 96.9 The Game.
If UCF defends home court against Oklahoma on Saturday, it will mark the first time the Knights have opened a season 5-0 under head coach Johnny Dawkins. The Knights haven't put together a 5-0 start since 2010-11, when they opened played with 14 straight wins before going on to post a 21-12 record.
The Knights will have their work cut out for them in Oklahoma, who is off to a 5-1 start to the season after dropping a close one to Utah State, 73-70, on Nov. 21. The Sooners are in their first season under head coach Porter Moser.
Although new to the Sooners, Moser is in his 18th season as a Division I head men's basketball coach that includes a 10-year stretch at the helm for Loyola Chicago, where he was 188-141 (.571) overall and made a pair of deep runs into the NCAA Tournament.
Saturday's game will mark just the second meeting between UCF and Oklahoma as the Knights dropped game one, 53-52, in Norman, Oklahoma on Dec. 21, 2019.
Game Information
Date: Saturday, Nov. 27
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
Radio: FM 96.9 The Game
DAWKINS ERA AT UCF
- Johnny Dawkins has made an immediate impact as head coach for the UCF men's basketball team, winning 98 games in six years at the helm.
- Dawkins has his squad off to a 4-0 start to the 2021-22 season, tying his 2017-18 mark for his best start to a season at UCF.
- Dawkins is 98-60 since starting with the Knights in 2016, a win percentage of .620, 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 back for the 2021-22 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.
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 has since followed up its stellar opening Knight victory with a 95-89 road win at Miami on Nov. 13, a 63-54 win over Jacksonville in front of their home crowd in Orlando, and most recently, a 75-59 win at Evansville on Nov. 20, moving UCF to 4-0 to begin the season for the first time since 2017-18.
- As a team, the Knights are second in The American with a 46.3 percent field goal percentage.
- The Knights have won 9 of their last 10 dating back to Feb. 17, 2021.
- UCF is also ranked third in The American field goal percentage with a 46.3 clip.
- The Knights are also top three in The American with a 1.26 assist to turnover ratio on just 46 turnovers (conference low), 3.5 blocked shots per game and an 84.4 percent free throw percentage.
- Following a strong undefeated start to the season, the Knights are receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll, released Monday afternoon.
- The Knights' appearance in the poll marks their first since Dec. 28, 2020 and their 20th under head coach Johnny Dawkins (2016-present).
- UCF is one of three teams out of the American Athletic Conference ranked or receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, as Memphis and Houston checked in at 10 and 11, respectively.
UNDEFEATED SO FAR
- The Knights are off to an undefeated, 4-0 start to the season, marking just the second time UCF has opened a season 4-0 under Dawkins.
- It is just the third time in the last 15 years that UCF has opened a season 4-0 or better (2010-11, 2017-18).
- UCF has only opened a season with a better record six times in program history [2010-11 (14-0), 2006-07 (6-0), 1993-94 (5-0), 1981-82 (5-0), 1979-80 (15-0) and 1969-70 (8-0)].
- The Knights have outscored opponents, 302-261, over their undefeated stretch to open the season.
FREE THROW EFFICIENCY
- UCF has hit 84.4 percent of its free throw opportunities through the first four games of the season, which leads the conference and is third in the nation to open the year.
- The Knights' current single-season record for highest field goal percentage is 76.1 percent (1975-76).
- Fifth year senior Brandon Mahan has not missed a free throw dating back to 02/01/21 at Memphis (last 14 games).
- Mahan is a perfect 32-for-32 in free throw attempts over that stretch.
- Mahan is currently UCF's all-time free throw percentage leader at 85.5 percent over his career.
- Fifth year senior Darius Perry is also a perfect 8-for-8 on free throws to open the season.
GREEN IS GOOD
- Darin Green is shooting 48.0% from three-point range to open the season, good for third in the conference.
- Green debuted on the season with a solid 14 points, 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 16.3 ppg to open the season and is 12-for-25 (.480) on three-point tries through the team's first four 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.
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