Men's Basketball Hosts South Alabama on Tuesday Night

GAME INFORMATION
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 10
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN+
TV Talent: Austin Lyon (PxP), BJ Taylor (Analyst), Cecily Webb (Sideline)
Radio: FM 96.9/AM 740 The Game
Radio Talent: Marc Daniels (PxP)
Live Stats: click here

STARTING FIVE- QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE KNIGHTS

• The 2026-27 roster is composed of 11 newcomers and four returners with three true freshmen. 
• Dior Johnson returns to UCF after spending last season at Tarleton State where he averaged 24.0 points per game and was named the Western Athletic Conference Sixth Man of the Year along with Second Team All-WAC. 
• During the offseason, Coach Dawkins signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him with the Knights through 2028-29.
• Cayden Vasko was ranked 5th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.85) during the 2025-26 season while at Wofford.
• Last season, UCF earned an AP Top 25 ranking after beating No. 17 Kansas and owns four Quad 1 wins. 

OPENING KNIGHT OVERTIME WIN OVER FGCU

• UCF opened the season with a 96-95 overtime victory over FGCU, improving to 10-1 in season openers under head coach Johnny Dawkins and earning its first overtime win since the 2026 Big 12 Championship victory over Cincinnati.
• The Knights have won seven consecutive games against in-state opponents dating back to Nov. 12, 2024, and are now 6-0 in their last six games when shooting 50% or better from three-point range after hitting 9-of-18 (.500) from deep against FGCU.
•  UCF's depth was on full display in the opener as the Knights' bench contributed 42 points, led by Lewis Walker (16) and Arturo Dean (15). UCF also limited FGCU to just 11 bench points and only one point off turnovers.
• Dior Johnson delivered one of the most prolific performances in program history with 41 points, setting the UCF Division I record for points scored in a season opener and recording the highest-scoring game by a Knight since Darius Johnson's 42-point outing against Villanova in 2025 along with becoming first Big 12 player ever to score at least 40 points in a season opener. 
• Johnson extended his streak of consecutive 20-point games to five, recorded his third career 40-point game, matched his career high with four made three-pointers while shooting 100% from beyond the arc and posted a career-best 86.7% field-goal percentage.
•  Walker's 16-point opener stretched his double-digit scoring streak to 14 consecutive games. During that span, he is averaging 20.4 points per game and ranks among a small group of active Division I players with streaks of at least 14 straight games scoring 10-plus points
• Center John Bol matched his career high with two assists in the season opener while Vasko and Arturo dished out four assists a piece helping anchor a UCF offense that scored 96 points, its highest output in a season opener under Dawkins. 

DIOR DOMINANCE

• In the Knights season opener, Dior Johnson's performance with 41 points marked the fourth-highest single-game scoring total in program history since the Knights joined Division I in 1984.
• He continued his scoring prowess, recording 28 points against Yale to continue his 20-plus point game streak to six.
• Due to his opening night showing, he became the first Big 12 player ever to score at least 40 points in a season opener. 
• Johnson dished out an offensive night which recorded the highest-scoring performance by a Knight since Darius Johnson on April 5, 2025.
• Johnson was perfect beyond the arc, matching his career high with four made three-pointers. 
• This performance marked his sixth game shooting 100 percent from the three-point range and fourth with the Black and Gold. 
• Johnson set a new single-game career high in field goal percentage, shooting 86.6% from the floor.
• His week one performance earned him a spot on the Lute Olson National Player of the Week list along with Big 12 starting five. 

KNIGHTS RALLY PAST YALE FOR 87-75 VICTORY

• The Knights extended their nonconference winning streak to 12 games, evening the all-time series against Yale at 1-1 and tying the series against Ivy League opponents at 5-5.
• UCF committed just two turnovers, its lowest single-game total in the Johnny Dawkins era, surpassing the previous low of three against Tulsa (Feb. 1, 2023).
• The Knights held Yale scoreless off turnovers, improving on their season-low mark of one set against FGCU in the season opener.
• UCF overcame a 13-point first-half deficit, its largest comeback of the young season.
• The Black and Gold shot 83.3% from the free-throw line, its highest mark since shooting 84.2% against Baylor on Feb. 28, 2026.
• Dior Johnson finished with 28 points, extending his streak of consecutive 20-point games to six. He also went 8-for-8 at the free-throw line, tying his career high for free throws made without a miss, and matched his career high with seven rebounds.
• Elijah Hulsewe recorded his first double-double as a Knight with 10 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, marking the second double-double of his career.

DOUBLE DIGIT CONSISTENCY 

• Lewis Walker saw his double-digit scoring streak come to an end against Yale on Nov. 6, finishing with nine points after scoring 10-plus points in 14 consecutive games dating back to Jan. 22 against Hofstra.
• The sophomore finished the 2025-26 season with 17 games in double figures.
• Walker averaged 20.4 points per game during the 14-game streak, including six games with 20-plus points and one game with 30-plus points.
• His 14-game streak ranked among just 22 active players nationally with at least 14 consecutive games scoring 10-plus points.

KUGEL BACK IN THE KINGDOM

• Riley Kugel is back in the Black and Gold for a fifth year, after being granted a temporary restraining order in the Daley vs. NCAA case by the Monroe County Circuit Court in Indiana. 
• Kugel is one of just two returning players in the Big 12 who led their respective teams in scoring during the 2025-26 season, joining Texas Tech’s JT Toppin. 
• The fifth year is also one of just 13 players across the Power Four conferences returning to their respective teams after leading them in scoring last season. 
• The Orlando native led the Knights with an average of 14.4 points per game during the 2025-26 campaign, ranking 23rd across the Big 12 in points per game.
• Kugel posted 24 games in double digits last season, helping lead UCF to its first NCAA berth since 2019.

BOOMERANG TRANSFER

• Dior Johnson returns to UCF for his junior season after spending the 2025-26 season at Tarleton State, where he enjoyed a breakout sophomore campaign.
• Johnson is one of just eight active players nationally who transferred away from a school before ultimately returning to their previous program.
• He was one of just four NCAA players to record a 40-point game last season and finished the year with four consecutive 20-point performances.
• His year at Tarleton State provided valuable experience and perspective, helping him mature as both a player and person.

VASKO’S VALUE

• Cayden Vasko was ranked 5th in the NCAA in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.85) during the 2025-26 season while at Wofford.
• Vasko was an elite playmaker last season as he recorded 131 assists last season averaging 4.1 assists per game with only 34 turnovers.
• Vasko has never missed a game through his 3 years, starting 94 of 95 games.
• In the 2025-26 season Vasko made an all around impact by averaging 10.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.1 steals per game while shooting 39.2% from three-point range. 

GO KNIGHTS, MARCH ON

• The UCF Knights went to the big dance for the first time since the 2018-19 season, as the No. 10 seed it faced No. 7 seed UCLA in Philadelphia. This marked the Black and Gold’s second at-large bid in program history.
• UCF was 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).

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.
• In 2026, the Knights returned back to the NCAA Tournament and faced off against UCLA, ending their season in Philadelphia with a 75-71 loss to the Bruins. 
• 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.

FOES WITH MARCH MADNESS PEDIGREE

• The Black and Gold will matchup against some high caliber teams this season as they are set to play a total of 11 games against teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament last season. 
• The 11 games breakdown into four at home, five on the road and one neutral site. 
• The nine Big 12 teams the Knights will host have punched 49 tickets to the NCAA Tournament over the last decade. Baylor, Houston, and Texas Tech lead the way with eight appearances in the last 10 seasons.
• Last season, Arizona reached the Championship game and Houston fell in the Sweet 16.
• This season, the Knights will take on 10 opponents who punched their ticket to the NCAA Tournament last season. 

NEW KNIGHTS

• UCF brings in 11 new faces to their 2026-27 roster, including eight transfers and three true freshmen. Seven of the newcomers enter as upperclassmen, giving the Knights a veteran-heavy squad. 
• The Knights newcomers that played last season averaged 82.9 points per game in total, led by Dior Johnsons’ 24 points per game and Lewis Walker averaging 18.9. 
• Senior Cayden Vasko averaged 10.4 points per game and proved to be a true floor general at Wofford, averaging 4.1 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game. He led the team in assists with 131 and was named All-SoCon Third Team.
• Senior Churchill Abass joins the Knights from New Orleans where he averaged 8.4 points per game and 5.7 rebounds and recorded a total of 57 blocks across 33 games. 
• Senior Isaiah Malone was named ASUN Defensive Player of the Year after recording 64 total blocks last year. He also grabbed 5.6 rebounds per game and averaged 10.5 points per game. Malone recorded 17 double-digit games at FGCU and ranked 21st nationally in total blocks at the end of last season.
• UCF brings in one incoming junior: Jason Asemota. As a sophomore at Boston College, Asemota appeared in 21 games, averaging 7.9 minutes, 3.1 points and 2.1 rebounds. 
• Arturo Dean and Dior Johnson are two redshirt seniors that the Knights added to their roster. Johnson was named WAC Sixth Man of the Year at Tarleton State. Appearing in 20 games, Johnson averaged 24 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Johnson recorded five games with 30+ points and two with 40 or more. Dean played in 34 games for Oklahoma State last season, averaging 7.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists. 
• Redshirt sophomore Mister Dean suffered a season-ending injury last season but recorded 11 points and four rebounds in his debut for Charleston. During his freshman season at USC Upstate, Dean was named Big South Freshman of the Year and averaged 15.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He ranked 24th in the nation in total steals with 63 in the 2024-25 season.
• Lewis Walker is another redshirt sophomore for the Knights coming from North Carolina A&T. Walker played in 29 games and started 26 games last season, averaging 18.9 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game, dropping a career-high 14 rebounds at NC Central.
• The Knights add three true freshmen to their roster: Ladarius Givan, Dylan Mann, and Jahda Swann. Givan averaged 15.9 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per game in this senior year. Mann played a post-graduation year at the prep school IV Greatness Academy, where he averaged 22.5 points and 12.0 rebounds. Swann led Thomas Jefferson High School to a city championship, tallying 25.5 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game his junior season. His senior year, Swann averaged 16.5 points per game at St. James Academy.

FAMILY TIES

• UCF is one of 23 teams in the country with brothers on its roster, as Arturo and Mister Dean are set to take the floor together for the Knights in 2026-27.
• The Dean brothers bring plenty of defensive firepower to the same backcourt. Arturo averaged 2.5 steals per game at Oklahoma State in 2024-25, while Mister averaged 2.2 steals per game at USC Upstate, ranking among the nation's leaders.
• This isn't the first time Dawkins has coached brothers at UCF. During the 2022-23 season, he coached twins Taylor and Tyler Hendricks, who both joined the Knights as freshmen. Tyler redshirted that season, while Taylor started all 34 games and led UCF in scoring and rebounding.
• The Hendricks twins made quite an impact in their one season together. Taylor became UCF's first one-and-done player, first lottery pick and first first-round NBA Draft selection when he was selected ninth overall by the Utah Jazz in 2023.
• The Knights have a long history of brothers sharing the court. Marcus and Jeff Jordan, sons of NBA legend Michael Jordan, were teammates at UCF during the 2011-12 season.
• The Dean brothers are also following a family basketball path beyond just their time at UCF. Their older brother, Toru Dean, played at Barry before helping Langston reach the 2024 NAIA National Championship game.

DAWKINS’ CONTRACT EXTENDED

• UCF signed head coach Johnny Dawkins to a three-year contract extension through the 2028-29 season.
• Dawkins has led UCF since 2016 and is entering his 13th season with the program in 2026-27.
• Guided UCF to the 2026 NCAA Tournament, earning only the second at-large bid in program history.
• Led the Knights to a 21-12 overall record and 9-9 mark in Big 12 play, the program's best conference finish since joining the league in 2023-24.
• UCF posted a 12-1 start, the best opening to a season under Dawkins.
• The Knights recorded their second consecutive 20-win season.
• Team averaged 80.7 points per game, the highest scoring average of the Dawkins era and the most in UCF's Division I history.
• UCF's 11-game winning streak (Nov. 11-Jan. 6) was the longest under Dawkins and the program's longest since 2010-11.
• Knights tied a program record with three Top 25 wins:
• No. 17 Kansas
• No. 11 Texas Tech
• No. 19 BYU
• Dawkins has accumulated 12 wins over ranked opponents during his tenure at UCF.
• UCF earned a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament and fell to No. 7 UCLA, 75-71, in the first round.
• UCF was one of only two NCAA Tournament teams (along with Miami) to make the field despite returning zero scoring production from the previous season's roster.

ETCHED IN THE RECORD BOOK

• Last season, the Knights 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)
• Averaged 80.7 points per game, the most-ever under Dawkins at UCF, and the most by any UCF team in our D1 era
• Delivered the program's best Big 12 record since joining the conference (9-9), and the program's most wins since the 2018-19 season (21-12).
• Their 11-game winning streak from FAMU on Nov. 11 to Oklahoma St. on Jan. 6 was the longest of the Dawkins era and the longest since the 2010-11 season.
• Tied the program record with three top-25 wins (No. 17 Kansas, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 19 BYU).
• Set a program record with 28 offensive rebounds against VMI, the most in a game since the 1996-97 season.

DAWKINS NAMED 2026 JIM PHELAN NATIONAL COACH OF YEAR

• Head Coach Johnny Dawkins was honored with the Jim Phelen National Coach of the Year Award, which is 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.
• Dawkins was named a finalist for the Skip Prosser Man of the Year award along with the Ben Job National Coach of the Year Award.
• The Skip Prosser Man of the Year 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.
• 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’ DECADE

• Johnny Dawkins enters his 11th season with UCF during the 2026-27 season, he has built a particularly glossy college basketball playing and coaching catalogue—most recently including a 2025 induction to the Washington D.C. Hall of Fame and the 2023 induction into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame and selection of a UCF player in the first round of the 2023 NBA Draft.
• Dawkins has continued to rewrite UCF’s history books, as he is responsible for 12 of UCF’s 14 total wins over ranked opponents. Prior to his arrival, the program had won two total games against ranked foes from 1984-2016.
• UCF had never won two games against ranked teams in a single season, and Dawkins has now accomplished the feat twice. It first happened during the 2018-2019 campaign, taking down No. 6 Houston and then No. 19 Cincinnati in Orlando in a span of five days in March. Now, the Knights have wins over three top-25 teams in 2023-2024, beating No.3 Kansas in January while topping No. 23 Oklahoma and No. 23 Texas Tech in February along with three in the 2025-26 season with wins over No. 17 Kansas, No. 11 Texas Tech and No. 19 BYU.
• Dawkins picked up win No.100 as UCF’s head coach in the Knight’s win over N.C. A&T on Dec. 11, 2022, becoming just the third coach in UCF history to reach the milestone. Dawkins has a .583 winning percentage since starting with the Knights in 2016, which is the second best of any UCF coach in program history (Torchy Clark, .754 from 1969-83).
• He has the third most wins of any UCF coach, trailing only Clark’s 274 and Kirk Speraw’s 247 from 1993-2010.
• Dawkins is the fastest coach to earn 100 wins in program history in the Division I era, needing only 162 games to do so.
• Dawkins had his squad off to a 12-1 start to begin the 2025-2026 season, marking the best of his tenure. Their win over No. 17 Kansas on Jan. 3 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 terror. 
• Dawkins led UCF to its first NIT Final Four (2017), first at-large berth to the NCAA Tournament (2019), and first NCAA Tournament win (2019). Additionally, he has led the Knights to four straight postseason appearances, including a championship appearance in the inaugural College Basketball Crown during the 2024-25 season.
• Robbie Laing, associate head coach, has stayed beside Dawkins throughout his entire tenure at UCF. 
• Laing was responsible for leading the charge in the recruitment of Taylor and Tyler Hendricks, both of whom joined the team’s roster in the 2022-23 season.
• Taylor went on to lead the team in scoring, blocks and a multitude of other categories in a phenomenal freshman campaign, one that led to him becoming the program’s first one-and-done, as well as first lottery pick in the NBA draft. Taylor was selected ninth overall in the 2023 NBA Draft to the Utah Jazz, the second of UCF’s selections in the modern draft era.

ON-POINT FROM LONG RANGE

• UCF broke a program record with 19 three-pointers in the game against FGCU (12/20/25), the previous record was 17 against Tulsa (2/11/23) 
• The Knights finished the 25-26 season ranked 51st in the nation and fifth in the Big 12 with a 36.2 three-point percentage. 
• Carmelo Pacheco shot the three-ball with a 39.4% clip. 

NBA SUMMER LEAGUE

• Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks signed with the Los Angeles Clippers to compete in the 2026 NBA Summer League (July 9-19).
• Kugel led UCF with 14.4 points per game in 31 starts, adding 3.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 41% from the field and 38% from three-point range.
• Fulks averaged 14.0 points and ranked second in the Big 12 with 6.6 assists per game. He shot 46% from the field and 39% from three, earned All-Big 12 Third Team honors and was named to the Big 12 Starting Five three times (Weeks 11, 13 and 16).

TAYLOR’S HALL OF FAME LEGACY

• BJ Taylor (2014-19) was inducted into the UCF Athletics Hall of Fame as a member of the 2026 class, becoming the first player from the Johnny Dawkins era to receive the honor.
• The Orlando native left a lasting mark on the program, finishing his career as UCF's seventh all-time leading scorer with 1,618 points.
• He helped lead the Knights to their first NCAA Tournament victory in program history in 2019, scoring a team-high 15 points against VCU before adding another 15 points in the second-round matchup against Duke.
• In 2019, he became the first UCF player to earn American Athletic Conference First Team honors.
• Taylor led the Knights in scoring in 48 of his 108 career appearances and ranks sixth in program history with 324 assists.
• He remains connected to the program as the men's basketball analyst for UCF's ESPN+ broadcasts, providing commentary for most home games.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE NOW
UCF men's basketball tickets are on sale now, including season tickets, single-game tickets and mini plans. Be sure to catch all the action starting Nov. 2 as the Knights return to the court. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the UCF Ticket Office at (407) 823-1000.

Season tickets, single-game tickets and mini plans are available now.

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.