KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The No. 8 seed UCF Knights fell to top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Arizona, 81-59, Thursday afternoon in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament inside T-Mobile Center.
The Knights (21-11) will now await their NCAA Tournament fate with the Selection Show set for 6 p.m. ET Sunday on CBS. UCF owns five Quad 1 victories, including three over ranked opponents in Kansas, Texas Tech and at BYU, and is projected by numerous outlets to receive an at-large bid to the Big Dance for the first time since 2019.
UCF was led by Themus Fulks and Jordan Burks, who finished with 14 and 10 points, respectively. Chris Johnson provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting. UCF’s leading scorer on the season, Riley Kugel, was limited to six points after picking up his fourth foul with 15:50 remaining.
Jamichael Stillwell led the team on the glass with 11 rebounds, his ninth game this season with 10+ boards. He totaled 24 points and 26 rebounds in the two tournament games this week.
Arizona (30-2), widely projected as a No. 1 seed in next week’s NCAA Tournament, showed its offensive firepower early. The Wildcats used a 15-0 run midway through the first half to build separation and carried a 46-30 advantage into the break.
The Knights battled through a tough shooting stretch early in the game. Arizona jumped out to a 14-2 lead in the opening five minutes as UCF began the afternoon 1-of-9 from the field.
Despite the slow start, the Knights stayed within striking distance late in the half, using a 12-5 run to trim the deficit before halftime. The surge was highlighted by a breakaway dunk from Johnson, who finished through contact for a three-point play.
The Knights continued to fight in the second half, cutting the Wildcats’ lead to 12 (54-42) at the 11:20 mark on a running jumper by Johnson. UCF again trimmed the deficit to 12 on a three-pointer from Fulks with 4:48 remaining, but Arizona responded down the stretch to secure the win.
UCF finished the afternoon shooting 37 percent from the field and 14 percent from three-point range, which ultimately did them in.
Brayden Burries paced the Wildcats with 21 points, including three from beyond the arc, while Tobe Awaka added a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double.
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.