ORLANDO – Seven home contests, including the season opener against Texas A&M, highlight the 2024-25 UCF men’s basketball non-conference schedule.
The Knights will tipoff in front of the largest number of season ticket holders in program history, topping last year’s record setting mark.
The Black and Gold will host Texas A&M on Nov. 4 to get the season rolling. The Aggies are fresh off back-to-back NCAA Tournament berths under the direction of head coach Buzz Williams. Texas A&M was a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Championship this season and topped Nebraska 98-83 before taking top-seeded Houston to the wire in a 100-95 Cougars overtime victory. The Aggies finished the 2023-24 campaign going 21-15, including a 9-9 mark in Southeastern Conference (SEC) play. UCF and Texas A&M announced a home-and-home series earlier this summer, with the Knights scheduled to visit College Station in 2025.
UCF will square off with Purdue Fort Wayne on Nov. 8 in the second game of the campaign, hosting a Mastodon team that won 23 games last season and reached the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament final.
Florida Atlantic makes its return to Orlando for the first time since UCF reached the NCAA Tournament during the 2018-19 season, with the Owls fresh off a pair of NCAA Tournament runs of their own. The Knights look to add to their 22-10 all-time series lead on Nov. 12.
The Black and Gold wrap up their season-opening four-game homestand with a meeting with Tennessee Tech on Nov. 19.
The Knights will travel to Sulpher Springs, W.Va. to take part in the Greenbrier Tip-Off on Nov. 22 and 24. UCF will start the tournament with a tilt against Wisconsin who earned a spot in March Madness last season, piling up 22 victories, including 11 in the Big 10 Conference. It will be just the second time the two sides cross, with the only other meeting coming in 1971. The Knights will then face either LSU or Pitt on the second day of competition at the resort.
UCF returns to Orlando to host Milwaukee on Nov. 27 before opening December by a meeting with Cal Baptist on Dec. 1, followed by a tilt with Tarleton on Dec. 8.
UCF will visit the home of this year’s Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, as the Knights take part in the AutoNation Orange Bowl Classic at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Fla. The opponent and time of the game will be announced at a later date. It will be the third time the Knights have participated in the Orange Bowl Classic as UCF beat Miami in the 2010 version of the neutral site contest before falling to Missouri at the buzzer during the 2022-23 season.
The Knights wrap up non-conference play with another in-state foe, hosting Jacksonville on Dec. 21. UCF is 26-11 against Florida foes during Coach Dawkins’ tenure.
UCF’s Big 12 Conference schedule will be released at a later date and feature 20 games in college basketball’s deepest league. While dates aren’t set, the Knights know who they’re playing and where, per the Big 12 matrix announced on June 27. UCF will face Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas, Oklahoma State and TCU twice, with a meeting on the road and at home. The Knights exclusively host BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, Kansas State and Utah while only facing Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Texas Tech and West Virginia on the road.
In addition to the 11 games on the non-conference slate, the Knights will play in two preseason exhibition contests. UCF will host FGCU on Oct. 20 before visiting Georgia on Oct. 29.
The Knights have set a record for season tickets sold for the second consecutive season and continue to sell fast. Guarantee your seats for every game at Addition Financial Arena by visiting the ticketing central page or by calling the ticket office at 407-823-1000. Tickets for individual games, if available, will go on sale at a later date.