ORLANDO – Looking to shake off back-to-back one possession losses, the UCF men's basketball team is set to host its rivals to the west for one final time as conference members. The Knights will square off against South Florida at 7 p.m. on Wednesday inside Addition Financial Arena.
The Knights have not lost to South Florida in regulation at home since joining the American Athletic Conference. That includes eight straight victories over the Bulls in Orlando, with the last regulation home loss in the rivalry coming during the 2012-13 season. UCF has outscored South Florida 588-480 in the last eight games in Orlando, averaging 73.5 points per game for the Black and Gold and 60 for the Bulls. The lone loss in American Athletic Conference play at home was on Feb. 5, 2014, by a score of 79-78 in overtime.
The next generation of gaming consoles have debuted since South Florida last beat the Knights at home in regulation. November of 2013 saw the Xbox One and PS4 released to the public; since that time each company has released a brand-new generation of consoles, the Xbox Series X and PS5, both being introduced in November 2020. iOS 7 was the operating system of the new iPhone 5S and 5C. Former United States President Barack Obama was inaugurated for a second term in 2013 while LeBron James was still a member of the Miami Heat and had not yet made his return home to Cleveland.
UCF's Michael Durr will get a crack at his former team after missing the meeting in South Florida earlier this season due to a hand injury. Durr played his first three seasons of collegiate basketball for the Bulls before transferring to Indiana for the 2021-22 season, and then ultimately transferring to UCF for the current campaign. He is coming off a season-high 15-point performance and finished just three points away from tying a career high. Durr's previous season high point total was 11, achieved back on opening night.
South Florida currently sits at 11-16 this season, including a 4-10 record in conference play. The Bulls have lost three of their last four games, falling to Tulane 84-66, Cincinnati 84-65 and Memphis 99-81. Their lone victory was on the road at Tulsa 96-69.
Tyler Harris has been a star for the Bulls after playing at Memphis for three seasons. He leads South Florida in scoring, averaging 16.8 points per game and nets nearly three three-pointers per game. He has made a total of 80 shots from beyond the arc, shooting 39.2% in the process. Russel Tchewa and Selton Miguel are also double-digit scorers, averaging 11.5 and 10.6 points, respectively.
South Florida took the 85-72 victory in the first meeting of the season on Saturday, Jan. 21. The Knights were without the services of Durr or Darius Johnson in the contest and still managed to post 72 points with C.J. Kelly, Ithiel Horton, Brandon Suggs and Taylor Hendricks all reaching double digits in the process.
UCF leads the all-sports War On I-4 tally 24-15. The Knights have won the rivalry series title in all six years it has officially been tracked. Men's basketball was the first sport to see the two rivals square off, as UCF and South Florida had their inaugural meeting for the final game of the 1971-72 regular season, a 115-96 South Florida win in Tampa.
Despite the 26-21 all-time South Florida advantage, the Knights have controlled the narrative recently, winning 14 of the last 19 meetings. The home team has been victorious in each of the last seven meetings; prior to that run, UCF ripped off a nine-game winning streak.
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