Game Notes - 02 - MiamiGame Notes - 02 - Miami

Men's Hoops Visits No. 13 Miami for First Road Test of Season

by Ken Landis
Game Notes - at Miami

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The UCF men’s basketball team is set to face No. 13 Miami in its first road contest of the 2023-24 season. The two sides have split the last six meetings between each other.

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Nov. 10, 2023
Time: 7 p.m. ET
Location: Watsco Center; Coral Gables, Fla.
TV: ACCNX
Talent: Kyle Sielaff (PxP), Jack McClinton (Analyst)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Talent: Evan Weston (PxP)
Live Stats: click here

KNIGHT NOTES

  • Junior guard Jaylin Sellers left a remarkable first impression on Knight Nation, posting 23 points in his UCF debut. He led the team in scoring and was tied for the team lead in rebounds as UCF beat FIU by 23 on opening night. UCF has now had a player score 23 points in back-to-back season openers, as Taylor Hendricks posted 23 through two overtimes on 11/7/22 against UNC-Asheville. Sellers’ 23 points was just one shy of tying his career high, and it was the seventh 20+ point game of his career
  • Junior guard Darius Johnson tallied four assists in UCF’s season opening victory and is now at 199 career assists, just one shy of the 200 mark. He recorded 106 of those assists last season in 25 games played on the year.
  • The Knights defense impressed on opening night, generating 24 turnovers and 16 steals. The turnovers are the 14th highest in the nation early on in the campaign and were the msot since forcing 24 turnovers at Memphis on 2/16/23. The 16 steals marked the first time the Knights recorded 16 steals since a bout at Cincinnati on 2/19/20.
  • UCF’s defense held the Panthers to just four points during the final four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half in the opening night victory
  • 10 of the 13 Knights who saw minutes against FIU were making their debut for UCF. The newcomers combined for 61 points, 12 assists, and 31 rebounds. Of the 10 who made their Knight debut, eight were not on the roster last season whiel the other two redshirted with the Black and Gold last season.
  • UCF assistant coach Kevin Norris hails from Miami, a four-year point guard who played for the Hurricanes from 1994-98.
  • He remains the program’s all-time leader in steals with 208 and in consecutive starts with 108. Norris is second in Miami’s
    history with 493 assists. He was a member of the 1994-95 Big East All Rookie Team and was the only player to lead the
    Hurricanes in assists in four consecutive years.

ABOUT THE MATCHUP

  • The Knights and Hurricanes have had a pair of highly entertaining contests over the last two meetings. Miami got the better of the Knights in the last matchup, winning 66-64. A year prior, the Black and Gold traveled down to Coral Gables and came away with a 95-89 victory on 11/13/21. Prior to that, UCF’s last win over the Hurricanes was 11/21/13, when UCF won 63-58. The two sides have split the last six meetings, including the last five meetings going to the road team.

SCOUTING NO. 13/13 MIAMI

  • Miami is off to a 1-0 start after a 101-60 victory over NJIT on Monday.
  • The Hurricanes made a run to the 2023 NCAA Tournament Final Four, finishing the year with a record of 29-8.
  • Miami's 2022-23 campaign tied the program records for both overall and ACC victories (set in 2012-13). The Hurricanes claimed a share of the ACC regular season title. Miami logged seven top-25 wins, three top-10 victories and registered multiple top-five triumps for the first time.
  • A trio of Hurricanes earned Basketball Hall of Fame preseason honors this season as one of the top 20 players at their postion.
    • Matthew Cleveland - Julius Erving Award (SF)
    • Norchad Omier - Karl Malone Award (PF)
    • Nijel Pack - Bob Cousy Award (PG)