Men's Hoops Heads to Philadelphia for NCAA TournamentMen's Hoops Heads to Philadelphia for NCAA Tournament
Matthew Richards / UCF Athletics

Men's Hoops Heads to Philadelphia for NCAA Tournament

by Jenna VanHoose
Game Notes Watch on TBS Listen Live Stats

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Friday, Mar. 20
Time: 7:25 p.m. ET
TV: TBS
TV Talent: Andrew Catalon (PxP), Steve Lappas (Analyst), Evan Washburn (Sideline)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP)
Live Stats: click here

Go Knights, March On

  • The UCF Knights enter the big dance for the first time since the 2018-19 season, entering as the No. 10 seed, set to face No. 7 seed UCLA in Philadelphia.This marks the Black and Gold’s second at-large bid in program history.
  • UCF is one of only two teams, joined by Miami, to make the tournament without any returning scoring production from last season. Since 2007, UCF is now one of only three teams to make the tournament without bringing back any scoring production (UCF and Miami 2026, and Kentucky 2025).
  • The Knights are the #10 seed for the first time in March Madness, previously placed as a 9 seed in the last tournament appearance in 2019. The other seeds were 16 in 1994 and 1996, 14 in 2004, and 15 in 2005.
  • Under Head Coach Johnny Dawkins, UCF is 2-4 in the state of Pennsylvania, playing all games against former conference foe, the Temple Owls, losing its previous matchup 57-55 (3/2/23).
  • The Big 12 in the first round year-over-year is 6-1 in 2025,  5-3 in 2024, and 5-2 in 2023. Big 12 teams when seeded in double-figures in the NCAA Tournament are 9-14 since 1997. Since 1997, Big 12 teams are 3-7 as a 10 seed, 3-7 as an 11 seed, 2-0 as a 12 seed, and 1-0 as a 13 seed. A Big 12 team hasn’t won in the round of 64 as a 10 seed since Iowa State beat Notre Dame in 2013.
  • UCF enters the field of 68 as a team with the second-fewest minutes played by freshman players on the team clocking in 13 total minutes (Prairie View A&M had zero all year).

Dawkins in the Big Dance

  • Johnny Dawkins has led teams to three NCAA Tournament appearances as a head coach (one at Stanford and two at UCF).
  • In 2013-14, Dawkins guided Stanford men's basketball to a Sweet 16 appearance in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
  • At UCF, Dawkins led the 2018-19 Knights to the Second Round of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament.
  • As an assistant/associate head coach at Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Dawkins was part of 10 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, including one National Championship, one national runner-up finish, one Final Four, and five Sweet 16 appearances.
  • As a player at Duke, Dawkins helped lead the program to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a national title game appearance in 1986.

Knights Top Cincinnati in OT Thriller

  • The Knights bested the Cincinnati Bearcats 66-65 in overtime on Wednesday, after leading for just 5:51, a late surge powered the Knights to the win, sending them to the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Tournament for the first time since joining the conference. 
  • The win improves the squad to 21-10 on the season, marking the program’s highest win total under head coach Johnny Dawkins since the 2018-19 campaign, when the Knights finished 24-9 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
  • Jamichael Stillwell led the way for the Black and Gold with a 17-point, 15-rebound double-double. Marking his eighth double-double of the season, with his rebound tally marking the most by any UCF player in a Big 12 Tournament game.

Johnny Dawkins’ Award Watch

  • Head Coach Johnny Dawkins is one of 25 finalists for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award. The award is presented annually to a Division I coach who not only shows success on the basketball court, but someone who displays integrity on and off the court too.
  • Dawkins is also one of 25 finalists for the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, presented to the top minority head coach in Division I College Basketball. 
  • The Ben Jobe Award is in honor of a legendary coach at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), coaching at six different HBCUs. Jobe reached the NCAA tournament four times.
  • Dawkins is one of 20 finalists for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award, presented to the top head coach in Division I College Basketball. The award is in honor of the iconic bow-tied head coach, bringing Mount St. Mary’s to 16 Division II NCAA Tournaments, winning the National Championship in 1962.

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 6.7 assists per game (214 assists) across 32 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.
  • After an 11 assist performance at BYU, Fulks now holds UCF’s single-season assist record and will continue to shatter the record with more games to come.
  • Fulks is one of only two players in the Big 12 with at least seven games with 10 or more assists, Texas Tech's Christian Anderson has reached the feat eight times this season.
  • The Winston-Salem native has directly contributed 451 points himself and another 514 through his assists, giving him responsibility for 965 of UCF’s 2,591 total points. That means he has accounted for an impressive 37.2 percent of the Knights’ total scoring production this season.
  • Fulks has recorded four 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, 13 points and 12 assists in a road conference win against Kansas State, and 24 points and 11 assists at BYU. Fulks is the first Knight to ever have three point-assist double-doubles in a single season.
  • The fifth year earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors along with All-Newcomer Team.
  • Fulks is a finalist for the Riley Wallace Player of the Year Award, presented to the most impactful transfer in Division 1 College Basketball. The award is in honor of the longtime Hawaii Coach, who welcomed many transfers into the program and became the winningest coach in program history, appearing in the NCAA Tournament three times.

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 eight double-doubles across 32 games. Unsurprising for the senior who averaged 13 points and 10.7 rebounds last season. He ranks third in the Big 12 and 33rd nationally with 3.23 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.
  • He ranks third in the Big 12 and 38th nationally with 3.14 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.
  • The Atlanta, Georgia, native reached the 500 career rebound milestone on Feb. 4 against Houson. 
  • 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 three away from reaching.

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 with two minutes remaining, sitting at 19-0. 
  • In games where UCF records 17 or more assists, the Knights post a 12-1 record.
  • Achieving 40-plus total rebounds in a game leads to success for the Black and Gold, registering a 11-1 record.
  • Defense has been a defining strength for UCF, while holding its opponents under 80 points, with an 14-3 record in those matches. 
  • The Knights are 18-1 when controlling the glass and out rebounding their opponents.

Bench Brigade            

  • Depth has been a defining trait for the 2025-26 roster, with seven different players leading the team in scoring through 32 games. A balance that has translated to one of the Big 12’s most productive benches, as the Black and Gold are averaging 22.56 points per game from their reserves, sixth-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 722 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 126 of his 140 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 39.6 percent.
  • Beyond scoring, the bench has contributed 311 rebounds so far, echoing Coach Dawkins’ 2023-24 unit, which set a program record with 475 rebounds, a mark this year’s group is over halfway toward.

Rising Through the Ranks             

  • 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 Mar. 13, UCF ranks 52nd 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 70th at this point in 2025 and 60th in 2024.

    UNC (Uncle) Status 

  • Devan Cambridge is the oldest player on the team and just surpassed his 173rd game against Arizona on Mar. 12. 
  • The mark now places him tied for fourth in most games played in NCAA history. 
  • Jordan Bohannon of Iowa holds the record for most games played with 179 from 2017-22.

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 57th in the nation and third in the Big 12 with a 34.0 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.

 

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.