Men's Hoops Hosts Stetson in Final Non-Conference ContestMen's Hoops Hosts Stetson in Final Non-Conference Contest

Men's Hoops Hosts Stetson in Final Non-Conference Contest

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ORLANDO – The UCF men's basketball team is set for its final non-conference matchup of the 2022-23 regular season as the Knights host Stetson on Wednesday at 7 p.m. inside Addition Financial Arena.

The Knights are coming off a heartbreaking loss at the AutoNation Orange Bowl Basketball Classic where Missouri sunk a buzzer-beating three-pointer to beat the Black and Gold 68-66. Prior to the tough loss, UCF earned a road win at Ole Miss, jumping out to a 21-0 run to start the game, holding the Rebels scoreless for over eight minutes. The Knights went on to secure an 11-point victory, posting a 72-61 final score.

C.J. Kelly earned a spot on the conference's weekly honor roll after his performance last week. He averaged 18 points and six rebounds over the two games and had a stellar performance against Ole Miss. Kelly recorded a season-high in rebounds with nine and tied a season-high in points with 20. The only other time he recorded 20 points in a game was against UNC Asheville on opening night in a game that went to double overtime.

The Knights as a whole tallied 13 three-pointers in the loss to Missouri. The mark was a season high, but the Black and Gold surrendered the same amount of triples on the other side, a season high in three-pointers allowed. UCF entered the contest as a top 50 team in guarding against the three-ball and finished as a top 50 team shooting, The Knights now boast a 37.9% mark from beyond the arc, a clip that's ranked 43rd in the country.

UCF matches up with Stetson for the 46th time in program history, as the Knights hold a 30-15 all-time record against the Hatters. The 46th meeting will tie Stetson with South Florida as UCF's most played opponent, but only until conference play begins as the Knights will face the Bulls twice this year.

The Black and Gold are riding a 19-game winning streak against Stetson and will face them for the first time since 2018. The head coach of the Hatters has changed since the last time the two sides met, and the man in charge is someone from UCF's past. Former Knight head coach Donnie Jones is in his fourth season at the helm of Stetson's squad, compiling a 44-56 record thus far. Jones posted a 100-88 record in his six seasons leading UCF, recording three straight winning seasons from 2010-11 to 2012-13 before losing exactly 18 games in his final three years, going under .500. It will be Jones' first time facing the Knights since accepting the job at Stetson.

Stetson currently sits at 5-5 this season and enter the contest having lost three of their last four games. The Hatters were beaten by Ohio their last time out, falling by a count of 85-66. Jalen Blackmon leads the way as the only double-digit scorer for the Hatters, averaging 10.1 points per game while averaging 21.7 minutes a contest.

Wednesday's contest will wrap up UCF's non-conference schedule for the campaign, a slate that has seen them post an 8-3 mark with some statement victories over Oklahoma State, Ole Miss and Florida State. Dec. 28 will be the last first game of league play for the Knights as they embark on their final run in the American Athletic Conference before joining the Big 12 for the 2023-24 campaign. UCF will open this year's American play by hosting Wichita State.

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