Knights Topple No. 17 Kansas in Big 12 Opener
- With the game tied at 72 and under a minute remaining, Jordan Burks delivered when it mattered most. UCF and Kansas had battled every second, each team vying to start the Big 12 season 1-0. But Kansas’ hopes were dashed as Burks pulled up from the long range in the final moments, sinking a clutch three-pointer to lift the Knights to an 81-75 upset at Addition Financial Arena.
- This is the second consecutive season the Knights have won their conference opener, and the first time they’ve beaten a ranked opponent since last year’s season home opener against then No. 13/15 Texas A&M. Dawkins, as a player and coach, is now a combined 7-3 in meetings against either Kansas or Bill Self, or a combination of both.
- The Knights committed just six turnovers all evening while forcing 12 from the Jayhawks, who normally average 10.8 turnovers per game and force 9.46 themselves.
- A trio of Knights scored in double digits as Riley Kugel led the way with 19 points followed by Themus Fulks with 16 and Burks added in 14.
History with the Bearcats
- Sunday’s meeting against Cincinnati will be the 25th matchup between the two teams. The Knights and Bearcats moved over to the Big 12 Conference in 2023 from the American Athletic Conference.
- The Knights’ snapped a five game losing streak against the Bearcats in the College Basketball Crown last season, when the Black and Goldcame out on top with an 88-80 win to advance to the semifinals.
- The last time UCF was ranked and faced Cincinnati was March 7, 2019, when the Knights were No. 25 and the Bearcats were No. 20. The Black and Gold came out victorious, 58–55.
Now you’re Dawkin; Knights Start 12-1
- Since head coach Johnny Dawkins took the helm in 2016, the Knights have never opened a season quite like this, as their electrifying 12-1 start stands as the best of his tenure. Their win over No. 17 Kansas on Jan. 3 also pushed their streak to 11 straight victories, the longest ever by a Dawkins-led team and the longest since the 2010-11 season when the squad opened the season on a 14-0 tear.
- UCF was one of three teams in the Big 12 with just one loss as they entered conference play, joined by Oklahoma State, No. 8 Houston and No. 19 BYU, while No. 1 Arizona and No. 3 Iowa State stepped into Big 12 play undefeated.
- Beyond Dawkins’ own record-breaking start, his group has already left its mark in the program record book, as the Knights set a new single-game record with 19 made three-pointers in their Dec. 20 win over FGCU, surpassing the previous mark of 17 set against Tulsa on Feb. 11, 2023.
- Dawkins has his core group locked down early, as the Knights have yet to lose with Riley Kugel, Themus Fulks, Jamichael Stillwell, Jordan Burks, and John Bol in the starting lineup.
Fulks Controls The Flow
- Milwaukee transfer Themus Fulks has quickly established himself as UCF’s floor general, ranking second in the Big 12 and 11th nationally with 6.6 assists per game (93 assists) across 13 games. He delivered his most impressive performance in the Knights’ win over Quinnipiac on Nov. 25, dishing out 13 assists, the most by a UCF player in more than a decade. That effort left him just one shy of the program’s single-game record of 14, held by Kingsley Edwards and Cory Perry.
- Should Fulks maintain a seven-assist per game average across the regular season, he’d shatter the previous program single-season assist record of 183 set in the 1991-92 season by Sinua Phillips.
- Fulks is one of only two players in the Big 12 with at least three games with 10 or more assists, Texas Tech's Christian Anderson has reached the feat five times this season.
- Fulks has directly contributed 189 points himself and another 227 through his assists, giving him responsibility for 416 of UCF’s 1,217 total points. That means he has accounted for an impressive 34.2 percent of the Knights’ total scoring production this season
- Fulks has recorded two point-assist double-doubles this season: 11 points and 10 assists against Oakland, and an impressive 24 points and 12 assists in the win over FAU. That makes him one of only three Knights this century, alongside Isaiah Sykes and Darius Johnson, to post two point-assist double-doubles in a single season. No guard has ever recorded three in one season.
The 4 Factor
- Number four, Jamichael Stillwell, who transferred from Milwaukee alongside Fulks, has become a dominant two-way presence for the Knights, already recording five double-doubles across 13 games. Unsurprising for the senior who averaged 13 points and 10.7 rebounds last season. He ranks third in the Big 12 and 10th nationally with 48 offensive rebounds, highlighted by a career-best 10 in the win over VMI, which ties him for second all-time in program history for offensive boards in a single game.
- Stillwell is on pace to surpass UCF’s single-season double-double record of 12, set by Tacko Fall during the 2016-17 season. Notably, Stillwell recorded 16 double-doubles last season at Milwaukee.
- Fall also set UCF’s single-season offensive rebounding record in 2016-17 with 129, another benchmark Stillwell could challenge if he maintains his production on the offensive glass throughout the season.
- It is worth noting that Fall was a true center, but no forward has surpassed 100 offensive rebounds in a single season, a benchmark that Stillwell is already almost halfway towards.
- Stillwell’s five double-doubles tie him for third-most in the Big 12 as non-conference play concludes, and rank third in program history for double-doubles during non-conference competition, trailing only 2012-13 Keith Clanton (7) and 2016-17 Tacko Fall (8).
Bench Brigade
- Depth has been a defining trait for the 2025-26 roster, with six different players leading the team in scoring through 13 games. A balance that has translated to one of the Big 12’s most productive benches, as the Black and Gold are averaging 28.21 points per game from their reserves, fifth-best in the conference, highlighted by a 51-point bench performance in the win over Florida A&M on Nov. 11.
- The Knights’ bench reached a program high in 2010-11, scoring 828 points at an average of 25.5 per game. So far, the 2025-26 reserves have amassed 363 points, hinting that this year’s bench could emerge as one of the most efficient in recent history.
- Among the UCF’s bench contributors are key sharpshooters like Carmelo Pacheco, who has scored 66 of his 78 points this season from beyond the arc. Pacheco ranked fourth in NCAA Division I in three-point field goal percentage last season at 46.4 percent and is looking to match that again, currently maintaining a strong 39.3 percent.
- Beyond scoring, the bench has contributed 177 rebounds so far, echoing Coach Dawkins’ 2023-24 unit, which set a program record with 475 rebounds, a mark this year’s group is already more than a third of the way toward.
SINGLE GAME AND SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF men's basketball single-match and season tickets are on sale now. Be sure to catch all the action at Addition Financial Arena. Tickets can be purchased online at ucfknights.com/tickets or by calling the ticket office at (407) 823-1000.
ABOUT UCF ATHLETICS
UCF is a proud member of the Big 12 Conference. Our mission is to positively transform the lives of our students academically, athletically, and personally through a nationally competitive intercollegiate athletics program that enhances the reputation and visibility of the University. We strive to be Florida's preeminent athletic program, representing UCF and our community with distinction on the national stage as "Orlando's Hometown Team". To learn more about UCF and Athletics, please visit our websites at www.ucf.edu and www.ucfknights.com.
