GAME INFORMATION
Date: Sunday, Feb. 8
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports Network
TV Talent: Chris Lewis (PxP), Steve Lappas (Analyst)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP)
Live Stats: click here
History With Cincinnati
- Sunday will mark the 26th matchup between the Knights and Bearcats.
- The Knights currently hold a 2-game win streak over Cincinnati after their 73-72 win in January.
- With a win, the Knights will hold a 3-3 record against the Bearcats since joining the Big 12 Conference in 2023.
Fulks Controls The Flow
- Milwaukee transfer Themus Fulks has quickly established himself as UCF’s floor general, ranking second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally with 7.0 assists per game (154 assists) across 22 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 five games with 10 or more assists, Texas Tech's Christian Anderson has reached the feat six times this season.
- Fulks has directly contributed 306 points himself and another 370 through his assists, giving him responsibility for 676 of UCF’s 1,823 total points. That means he has accounted for an impressive 37 percent of the Knights’ total scoring production this season.
- Fulks has recorded three point-assist double-doubles this season: 11 points and 10 assists against Oakland, an impressive 24 points and 12 assists in the win over FAU, and a stellar in a road conference win against Kansas State. Fulks is the first Knight to ever have three point-assist double-doubles in a single 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 six double-doubles across 22 games. Unsurprising for the senior who averaged 13 points and 10.7 rebounds last season. He ranks fourth in the Big 12 and 29th nationally with 3.33 offensive rebounds per game, 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 in non-conference play tied him for fifth-most in the Big 12 at the conclusion of non-conference play, ranking him third in program history for double-doubles during non-conference competition, trailing only 2012-13 Keith Clanton (7) and 2016-17 Tacko Fall (8).
Knights Hold Off Cincinnati At Home
- In the first matchup this season against the Bearcats, neither team led by double digits, then No. 25 UCF men’s basketball survived a late surge from Cincinnati to earn a 73-72 victory on Jan. 11 inside Addition Financial Arena.
- The Black and Gold shot 57.7% from the field, their best mark against a Big 12 opponent since joining the conference ahead of the 2023-24 season.
- A 6-0 run by the Bearcats put them up by one with less than two minutes remaining, but a Fulks jumper gave UCF the lead with 13 seconds remaining. The Knights held on defensively to secure the one-point victory.
- Riley Kugel led the game in scoring with 19, with Jamichael Stillwell adding 15 of his own, and Jeremy Foumena tailed 12 points with a season-high eight rebounds.
- Themus Fulks’ 12 assists is his fourth 10-plus assist performance on the season.
The Knights’ Checkmate
- The Knights’ blueprint for success has gone far beyond shooting percentages, driven by their ability to control the game.
- The Black and Gold have been unbeatable during games where they lead at half (12-0), and when they lead with 10 minutes remaining (13-0).
- Defense has been a defining strength for UCF, while holding its opponents under 80 points, with an 11-1 record in those matches.
- The Knights also remain undefeated (16-0) when controlling the glass and out rebounding their opponents.
Bench Brigade
- Depth has been a defining trait for the 2025-26 roster, with six different players leading the team in scoring through 22 games. A balance that has translated to one of the Big 12’s most productive benches, as the Black and Gold are averaging 24.32 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 535 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 99 of his 111 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 40.2 percent.
- Beyond scoring, the bench has contributed 228 rebounds so far, echoing Coach Dawkins’ 2023-24 unit, which set a program record with 475 rebounds, a mark this year’s group is nearly halfway toward.
Rising Through the Ranks
- Currently the Knights are recieving votes in this week's edition of the Associated Press Top 25, earlier this season,UCF men’s basketball debuted at No. 25 in the Week 9 AP Top 25, marking its first appearance in the poll since 2019.
- The ranking came during the best start of head coach Johnny Dawkins’ tenure, as the Knights entered Week 9 with a 12-1 record.
- UCF earned the ranking after a statement 81–75 win over then-No. 17 Kansas on Jan. 3.
- The week nine ranking marks the sixth week UCF has appeared in the AP Top 25 since the program began in 1969, and the second time under Dawkins.
- As of Feb. 5, UCF ranks 42nd in the NCAA NET, climbing as high as 30th, its best NET ranking since joining the Big 12. They have shown far more movement than in their first two seasons, when they sat 80th at this point in 2024 and 70th in 2023.
- The Knights are also 44th in KenPom, nearing the program’s all-time best of No. 34, last reached in 2019.
- The Knights have three quad 1 wins, having swept Texas A&M in a home-and-home series and beating No. 17 Kansas at home, winning at Colorado in a shootout, and defeating #11 Texas Tech in the Space Game. UCF’s remaining schedule includes two quad 1 games and six quad 2 games.
- Dawkins’ 2018-19 team finished nonconference play ranked 46th in the NCAA NET Rankings, though they climbed as high as 26 before ending their season in the tournament’s second round.
On-Point From the Long Range
- UCF broke a program record with 19 three-pointers in the game against FGCU (12/20), the previous record was 17 against Tulsa (2/11/23)
- The Knights are currently ranked 24th in the nation and third in the Big 12 with a 37.8 three-point percentage.
- Transfers George Beale Jr. and Carmelo Pacheco shot the three-ball above 40% last season.
- Both Beale Jr. Pacheco averaged 6.3 three-point attempts per game on their two previous teams, respectively.
- UCF earned 10 or more three-pointers for the 14th time last season against Oregon State, hitting 10 or more threes in four of its last five games after not doing so for the entire month of February. The streak included tying a season-high 14 made threes vs. Kansas in the second round of the Big 12 Championship. To put in perspective the shooting capability of this year’s team, the Knights hit 10 or more three pointers just twice last season. Additionally, UCF has five games where they’ve shot 50% or better from the floor after doing that four times in the previous campaign.
- The Black and Gold have knocked down a program record 328 three pointers last season, reaching the milestone during the College Basketball Crown first round. The mark tops the 295 made triples during the 2022-23 season.
- The Knights averaged 8.9 made three pointers per game, beating the previous record during Dawkins’ tenure at 8.8 during the 2021-22 campaign. The high clip has helped UCF to its highest scoring offense under Dawkins as well.
Knights Eclipse No. 11 Red Raiders, 88-80
- UCF led for 36 minutes and six seconds, knocking off 11th ranked Texas Tech for a second ranked win this season.
- The Black and Gold asserted dominance on the glass with a 35-23 rebound advantage, matching that presence with tight ball security, forcing 13 turnovers while surrendering only six.
- John Bol’s out of this world performance for a second career double-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 6-8 shooting, rallied Space U to victory.
- The Red Raiders made a final push late to pull within two with 1:55 remaining, but the Knights kicked into full throttle, as a Chris Johnson fastbreak dunk in the final moments put UCF in the front seat of victory, 88-80.
- The victory lifts the Knights to 17-4 overall, the most wins through the month of January in program history, and 6-3 in Big 12 play. UCF asserted itself on the glass with a double-digit rebounding advantage (35-23) and matched that presence with tight ball security, forcing 13 turnovers while surrendering only six, an effort that underscored their control throughout.
UCF Rallies From 12-Point Deficit, 79-76, over Arizona State
- In the last six minutes of regulation, the Knights, down 12, came back in miraculous fashion to advance to 16-4, their best mark since the 2018-19 season, and their best Big 12 Conference start.
- After trailing 12 with 6:09 left, the Knights fired up a 21-6 run until the clock hit zero, punctuated by a Jordan Burks three from the left wing to give the Black and Gold a 78-76 lead with 34 seconds remaining. Burks followed just moments later, stealing the ball with 11 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
- After shooting 1-10 from downtown in the first half, UCF found their shooter’s touch, going 6-12 from behind the arc in the second half.
Knights Edge Colorado 95-86
- UCF put on a shooting masterclass in Boulder, shooting 61.1% from the field and 62.5% downtown, a program best during Big 12 conference play.
- Five players scored in double figures, led by Riley Kugel’s 22 points and a career-high six three-pointers made. Themus Fulks scored 19 points of his own, dishing out eight assists.
- The Knights were 10-13 from long range in the opening period, the second time UCF has made 10 threes in a half this season, and the third time in program history the Knights earned this mark.
- The Buffalos trimmed the Knights lead down to six with under three minutes remaining in the second period, but a miraculous bank shot three by Kugel with 0.6 left on the shot clock swung momentum UCF’s way, with the team making its next nine field goal attempts to seal the 95-86 victory.