Men's Hoops Set to Wrap Up Home Slate on Tuesday against Oklahoma StateMen's Hoops Set to Wrap Up Home Slate on Tuesday against Oklahoma State
Matthew Richards / UCF Athletics

Men's Hoops Set to Wrap Up Home Slate on Tuesday against Oklahoma State

by Jenna VanHoose
Listen on 96.9 Game Notes Watch on ESPN+ Live Stats

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Mar. 3
Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Austin Lyon (PxP), BJ Taylor (Analyst)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP)
Live Stats: click here

History With Oklahoma State

  • The matchup on Tuesday will feauture the seventh meeting on the hardwood between the two teams while the Knights hold a 4-2 record over the Cowboys. 
  • Earlier this season (Jan. 6) Oklahoma State came away with an 87-76 win inside the Gallagher-Iba Arena.
  • This will be the second straight season that the Knights have ended their home season against Oklahoma State. Last year, UCF came out on top 83-70.

NCAA Tournament Resume

  • UCF as of Feb. 28, 2026 has a wins above bubble score of 2.61. No team last season on this same day missed the tournament with a win above bubble score of 1.00 or more (per NCAA Stats). The Knights sit at 29th in wins above bubble rank, and no team that finished at or better than 38th on Feb. 28 last season missed the tournament.
  • UCF is one of 39 Division I teams with four or more Quad 1 wins. The Knights are one of 33 teams with at least ten total quad 1 and quad 2 wins.
  • Historically, no Big 12 team has missed the NCAA Tournament after finishing above .500 in conference play since 2009.

Fulks Controls The Flow            

  • Milwaukee transfer Themus Fulks has quickly established himself as UCF’s floor general, ranking second in the Big 12 and 9th nationally with 7.0 assists per game (194 assists) across 28 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 395 points himself and another 469 through his assists, giving him responsibility for 864 of UCF’s 2,300 total points. That means he has accounted for an impressive 37.5 percent of the Knights’ total scoring production this 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 seven double-doubles across 28 games. Unsurprising for the senior who averaged 13 points and 10.7 rebounds last season. He ranks third in the Big 12 and 37th nationally with 3.15 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 18 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.
  • The Knights are 16-2 when logging a 45% field goal percentage or better. On the defensive-end, UCF is 13-1 when holding opponents below 45% from the field. 
  • Achieving 40-plus total rebounds in a game leads to success for the Black and Gold, registering a 10-0 record.
  • UCF is 9-1 in games where the Knights shoot at or better than the Division 1 game averages for field goals made (27), field goals attempted (59), and field goal percentage (45.3%).
  •  Defense has been a defining strength for UCF, while holding its opponents under 80 points, with an 13-2 record in those matches. 

 

Bench Brigade            

  • Depth has been a defining trait for the 2025-26 roster, with seven different players leading the team in scoring through 28 games. A balance that has translated to one of the Big 12’s most productive benches, as the Black and Gold are averaging 23.61 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 661 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 117 of his 129 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 42.3 percent.

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 Feb. 28, UCF ranks 46rd 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 77th at this point in 2025 and 66th in 2024.
  • The Knights are also 48th in KenPom, nearing the program’s all-time best of No. 34, last reached in 2019.
  • The Knights have four quad 1 wins, having swept Texas A&M in a home-and-home series, beating No. 17 Kansas at home, winning at Colorado in a shootout, defeating #11 Texas Tech in the Space Game, and stunning #19 BYU in Provo, winning 97-84. UCF’s remaining schedule includes one quad 1 game and one quad 3 game.
  • 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 14th in the nation and third in the Big 12 with a 38.5 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.