HOUSTON – After a thrilling comeback against the Longhorns on Wednesday, the UCF men’s basketball team is set for the final leg of its two-game swing through the state of Texas, visiting No. 5 Houston for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday.
Men's Hoops Reunites with No. 5 Houston in Big 12 on Saturday
by Ken LandisThe Knights erased a 16-point deficit in Austin, earning the program’s first road win in Big 12 Conference play with a 77-71 defeat of Texas. The Knights were down 12 at halftime, their largest margin of the season, but went on to outscore the Longhorns 45-27 in the second, including a 31-12 run in the final 12 minutes to seal the comeback. Jaylin Sellers led the way with 24 points and was one of five Knights to score double-digit points as he was joined by Shemarri Allen (17 points), Darius Johnson (11), C.J. Walker (10) and Omar Payne (10). Allen had a memorable game as well, posting season highs in points with 17 and assists with seven; he also added four steals and four rebounds in the process. UCF shot a season-high 50.9% from the field in the win, topping the previous highest mark of exactly 50% against FIU to open the 2023-24 campaign. Ibrahima Diallo led the team in blocks with three, boosting his blocks per game clip to 2.13 to remain firmly in front of the rest of the Big 12 in that category.
Saturday’s meeting with Houston will be the 34th all-time between the two sides. The Knights will be seeking its first win in the last seven tries, with their most recent victory coming on Mar. 9, 2019. UCF spoiled College Gameday for the Cougars in their home arena that day, beating then-No. 6 Houston 69-64. The win was the first of two straight against ranked opponents for the Knights that season, which played a massive role in UCF earning an at-large berth into the 2018-19 NCAA Tournament.
The Black and Gold will be looking to capture something else that hasn’t been done since that magical season on Saturday, as UCF will be searching for its second ranked win in a single campaign, a feat that was only done during that 2018-19 season. The Knights already have one ranked win under their belts this season, toppling No. 3 Kansas 65-60 in UCF’s first home conference game as members of the Big 12. The Black and Gold also erased a 16-point deficit against the Jayhawks on their way to the first ranked victory since 2020.
While Houston and UCF’s series against each other started less than 20 years ago, the two are set to play the 34th and 35th meetings against each other this season. The high volume of games is due to the fact they have been league-mates since 2005-06, sticking together through three different conferences. The Cougars were already members of Conference USA when UCF joined ahead of the 2005-06 season. The pair later moved to the American Athletic Conference together for the 2013-14 season and remained there for 10 seasons before officially joining the Big 12 Conference on July 1, 2023.
The UCF defense forced 11 turnovers on Wednesday, a number below its average for the season, but it still stood as the 15th time the Knights have forced double digit turnovers. The Black and Gold have only had less than 10 forced turnovers once this season, a big part in why they average 16.19 forced turnovers thus far, a mark that stands 14th in the nation and third in the Big 12. On the other side of Saturday’s matchup, Houston averages 16.94 turnovers per game a clip that ranks 10th in the country and second in the league.
The Knights rank in the top 30 nationally in blocks per game (12th), turnovers forced per game (14th), offensive rebounds per game (22nd) and steals per game (28th). Houston ranks in the top 30 in 10 different categories, including earning the nation’s top marks in scoring defense, scoring margin and opponent field goal percentage. The Knights and Cougars average nearly the same amount of points per game, separated by just a 0.2 average. Defense is shaping up to be the name of the game of Saturday’s contest.