EUGENE, Ore. – The UCF men's basketball team is set to face Oregon for it's NIT Second Round contest, taking place on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET from Matthew Knight Arena. It will be the first time the two programs meet on the hardwood in their histories.
UCF advanced with ease through the first round, dominating their in-state foe Florida 67-49. The Knights became the only team this season to hold the Gators under 50 points as the Black and Gold earned their first win in Gainesville in program history. The 49 points netted by Florida was the least that the Gators had scored at home since Jan. 13, 1962, when they beat Auburn 43-40.
C.J. Kelly once again led the way for the Knights on the stat sheet, scoring 21 points. It's his third straight game scoring 21 or better as he now averages 23.3 points per game this postseason. He's shooting 66.7% from the field and 75% (9-for-12) from three over that span. His 21 points were good enough for third all-time for any UCF player in the NIT.
Kelly has seven games in which he has scored 20 points or better this season, passing Taylor Hendricks who has six this season. However, Hendricks has a bragging point that nobody else in the nation has, as he is the only player in the country who has 60 or more threes, 55 or more blocks and 35 or more dunks. He has 60, 58 and 36 in those categories, respectively.
As a team, the Knights are shooting 46.4% in the postseason, 3.2% greater than their 43.2% average over the entirety of the season.
UCF has continued to impress from the three-point line, shooting 36% the top mark in the conference and 81st in the country. The Knights average 8.8 three-pointers per game, tied for the best mark in the Dawkins era and a clip that is ranked 40th in the country. When it comes to stopping the three, the Black and Gold are just as good, holding foes to a 30.8% mark, a clip that's 34th in the country.
UCF's defense looks to be firing on all cylinders after posting its sixth defensive masterpiece of the season, holding the Gators at 50 points or less. Prior to Michael Durr's injury, the Knights were ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense, allowing 60 points per game. While Durr was out with the injury over the next eight games, the Black and Gold allowed an average of 77.1 points per game, a mark 17.1 points higher than when Durr saw game action. With Durr back in the starting lineup for the last eight games and appearing in the last nine, UCF's season scoring defense is back in the top 50 nationally, currently ranked 48th in the country at 65.5 points allowed per game. The Knights have allowed 64.8 points per game in the nine contests since his return. UCF has allowed 60.1 points per game over the last six contests, going 4-2 and tallying two defensive masterpieces.
The Ducks enter the contest after cruising past UC Irvine in the first round of the NIT. Oregon, the top seed in the region, earned its 20th win of the season with the victory on Wednesday, improving to 20-14 on the year. It's the 13th straight season that the Ducks have won 20 or more games under head coach Dana Altman. Since the 2011 postseason, Oregon has won 66 games in the month of March, the second most in the country only behind Kansas who has 69. The Ducks are 66-26 in the Month of March under Altman.
Oregon has three double-digit scorers, with N'Faly Dante leading the charge scoring 13.4 points per game. He's followed by Jermaine Couisnard and Will Richardson, averaging 12.8 and 12.2 points per contest, respectively. Dante nearly averages a double-double per game, pulling in 8.4 rebounds per game, all while boasting 43 blocks and 33 steals. Richardson enters the contest with an impressive 168 assists on the year.
The Ducks are one of the country's tallest teams and it shows on the stat sheet. Oregon is 16th in the country in rejections, averaging 4.9 per contest. Their field goal percentage defense is ranked 48th in the nation, holding opponents to a 41.4 percent mark from the field.
Overall, Oregon is 9-2 at home in its NIT history. However, they are 3-3 in the second round, with their last win coming in 2012. Their most recent loss was last season against Texas A&M in a 15-point defeat.
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