Celebrating 30th Anniversary of UCF Men's Hoops' 1st NCAA Tournament AppearanceCelebrating 30th Anniversary of UCF Men's Hoops' 1st NCAA Tournament Appearance

Celebrating 30th Anniversary of UCF Men's Hoops' 1st NCAA Tournament Appearance

by Ken Landis

Kobe Bryant once said, “Once you know what failure feels like, determination chases success.”

UCF began its basketball program with a taste of success in the early years, reaching an NCAA Division II Final Four in 1978 and piling up five other regional appearances in a seven-year span. However, the Knights didn’t find that same success in making the transition to Division I in 1984-85, failing to finish above .500 or with more than a dozen wins in a single campaign in the first nine seasons at their new level.

In stepped Kirk Speraw, an assistant coach from the University of Florida who had never had a head coaching job at the Division I level. Hired on July 28th, Speraw had just four months to get UCF ready for its 1993-94 season opener against Rollins after the Knights’ 10-17 finish the year prior.

“The first time I saw these guys was basically the first day of school. It was kind of new for everybody on a day-to-day basis and we were just trying to get better each and every day. We didn’t have any expectations; UCF at the Division I level had really struggled for a decade. I think really trying to get these guys to play together, play exceptionally hard, and learn how to win tight games was something we really tried to focus on.”

Kirk SperawFormer UCF Men's Basketball Head Coach, 1993-2010
1993-94CeleyKirk

Little did Coach Speraw know what he and his team were about to embark on. What could have been considered a pumpkin of a program was turned into a majestic horse-drawn carriage seemingly overnight, as the Knights jumped out to a 5-0 start to the 1993-94 campaign, the first five-game winning streak at the Division I level. The momentum continued throughout the season, and members of the Black and Gold eventually found themselves surrounded by Knight Nation on their home floor, hoisting a conference championship trophy and punching UCF’s first ticket to the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Following the five-game winning streak, UCF crossed paths with Speraw’s old squad, the Florida Gators. While the Knights were topped by 14 points that day, it proved that they belonged with some of the nation’s top competition.

“We were down five points with two minutes left in the game. We started fouling them and we lost by 14. They went to the Final Four that year. But to compete with a team that went so far showed how good our team was, to be that close to a team like the Florida Gators in December. It was a nice benchmark for us.”

Eddie FosterFormer UCF Men's Basketball Guard, 1992-94
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UCF lost five of its seven games following the hot 5-0 start, but got back on track with an eight-game winning streak that started with road wins at FAU, Stetson (in overtime), Centenary and Southeast Louisiana. The Knights finished the conference slate with an 11-5 record, earning a number one seed despite finishing second in the league as fellow Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC, now known as the Atlantic Sun) newcomer College of Charleston did not participate in the postseason tournament.

“It was just a grind. I don’t know if it ever hit us [how good we were]. Obviously, the talent was there, and we needed to get talent to play together. As we went along, there was a stretch where we won eight in a row, and thought ok we might have something here, then we stumbled a little in February. But we battled back and won the conference championship here.”

Kirk SperawFormer UCF Men's Basketball Head Coach, 1993-2010

UCF’s march through the TAAC bracket began on its home floor, in what is now The Venue which houses UCF volleyball, with a massive 90-68 win over Mercer. The Knights followed that up with a tight 93-89 decision over Centenary, advancing to the championship game against their rival, Stetson. The Black and Gold edged out a 70-67 victory over the Hatters, earning the first Division I conference championship in program history.

“We had beat Stetson earlier in the season, so we felt good going into it. But that championship game, they actually played us pretty tough. I just remember the arena at the time being packed. It was a feeling like no other, winning that championship and the crowd storming the court. We had been talking the whole year about rings, saying ‘Coach, if we win, we want rings.’ That was part of our conversation throughout the whole year.”

Darryl DavisUCF Hall of Famer and Former UCF Men's Basketball Guard, 1991-95

UCF got their rings, and with it, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, the first at the Division I level. Its reward? A date with Purdue, a No. 1 seed with Glenn Robinson on the squad, who went on to be the first selection in the NBA Draft that summer.

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“The thing I remember most about that game…I remember running down the court in front of almost 25,000 fans and Glenn Robinson came by and hit me on the butt and said ‘You better get your head in the game.’ I looked at him and said, ‘you right.’ He made me come back down and just play. Because it was a big game, especially for us.”

Victor SaxtonFormer UCF Men's Basketball Forward, 1992-94

Saxton led the Knights with 16 points in UCF’s first NCAA Tournament game after winning the TAAC Tournament MVP. Ochiel Swaby and Darryl Davis joined him in double-digit scoring with 12 and 10 points, respectively. Purdue’s leading scorer was Robinson, posting 31 points and 11 rebounds on 10-of-20 shooting from the floor. The Knights trailed by 13 at halftime but wound up falling 98-67. UCF couldn’t pull out the victory that day, but the barriers broken by the 1993-94 team to even get to the tournament would leave an impact for years to come.

1993-94CelleySaxton

“To know you’re part of the foundation, especially to be the first team to make the tournament and set some high expectations for those who are coming after you, is amazing. I live local, and just to see the growth that UCF is going through, to know you kind of set some of that foundation is great.”

Darryl DavisUCF Hall of Famer and Former UCF Men's Basketball Guard, 1991-95
1993-94CelleyDarryl

Fast forward to today, and UCF is a member of the top conference in college basketball. The Knights have already left their mark as members of the Big 12 Conference, beating ranked teams such as Kansas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma.

“It means a lot [to see UCF in the Big 12] because we worked hard to get the respect for our program, and its nice to see that we have achieved a national stage. We made the nation look at UCF differently by even being in the tournament for the first time and winning our conference championship.”

Eddie FosterFormer UCF Men's Basketball Guard, 1992-94

UCF had just 23,000 students enrolled at the beginning of the 1993-94 basketball season. Today, the school has blossomed into one of the top universities in the nation and has nearly 70,000 enrolled consistently throughout the last handful of years. UCF is growing with the Orlando area, which has become one of the fastest growing cities in the United States.

Members of that first NCAA Tournament team see how much the program has grown since their time as a Knight, and see bright things ahead for the Black and Gold.

“Orlando, as a metropolitan city, we have so much to do, whether its Disney, Universal, Downtown Orlando, or anything else. So, I think we’re going to start to get the players here, it’ll be an easy recruitment. You’re in Orlando and you’re playing in the Big 12 against some of the best competition in the country; I think that’s going to be a big-time draw. I can see us being at the top in all sports. We see it now. We’re right there, waiting for that breakthrough.”

Darryl DavisUCF Hall of Famer and Former UCF Men's Basketball Guard, 1991-95
1993-94 Team Photo