The UCF Knights men’s basketball team is about to enter a new territory on Wednesday as they are set to duke it out with Oklahoma State in the first round of the Big 12 tournament.
The Knights earned the No.12 seed of the Big 12 tournament after finishing their regular-season campaign with a 17-14 overall record and 7-11 in conference play.
The Big 12 tournament presents the last opportunity for teams to make it into the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament as it offers an automatic berth to the eventual champion and a platform to impress the NCAA men’s basketball selection committee in a bid to secure an at-large nomination.
The Knights will be taking a tougher road to qualify since they ended up with one of the worst records in conference play.
Nevertheless, UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins remains optimistic about their chances heading into the Big 12 tournament, implying that records and stats will no longer matter in postseason play.
“Everyone starts back at 0-0 now, so it’s a brand-new season,” said Dawkins, who is coaching in his 8th season for UCF.
New opportunity ????♂️ pic.twitter.com/qjElWGWovT
— UCF Men’s Hoops ???? (@UCF_MBB) March 11, 2024
Although their regular-season record may seem subpar on paper, the Knights held their own better than expected in their inaugural season in the Big 12.
In their first go-around against perennial college basketball contenders, UCF had scalped the heads of several highly ranked teams like No.3 Kansas (65-60), No.23 Oklahoma (74-63), and No.23 Texas Tech (75-61).
UCF will be relying on their two main gunners Jaylin Sellers (16 PPG on 42FG%) and Darius Johnson (14.8 PPG on 40.2 FG%). Senior big man Ibrahima Diallo will also play a crucial role for the Knights going forward as the team’s shot blocker and rebounder.
The Knights, who defeated the Cowboys 77-71 in the first meeting, will enter Tuesday’s first-round showdown as slight favorites. Still, the UCF has no reason to feel complacent as Oklahoma State possesses the personnel to pull off a win.
New season ????️ pic.twitter.com/ylhhLJxsfx
— UCF Men’s Hoops ???? (@UCF_MBB) March 11, 2024
Should UCF advance to the second round, they will face an even tougher foe in No.19 seed BYU. The Knights lost to the Cougars by only two points, 90-88, in their first meeting this season last February 13.
