The UCF Knights men’s basketball team is bracing for an even tougher go-around in their second season in the Big 12, which will pit the program against a gauntlet of powerhouse opponents throughout their 2023-24 college basketball campaign.
The Knights’ 2023-24 college basketball season is shaping to be one of the most daunting, if not the hardest, five-month regular-season stretches in the program’s history.
Although the team’s full schedule has yet to be released, the matrix for next season is already riddled with perennial top-25 teams and NCAA championship contenders.
BIG year coming up????️
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— UCF Men’s Hoops ???? (@UCF_MBB) June 27, 2024
Loaded 2024-25 College Basketball Schedule for the UCF Knights
The Knights will also have two more conference games this coming season after playing in 18 Big 12 matches the previous year. The matrix divides UCF’s 15 opponents evenly into thirds. The Knights will host five teams in Orlando for home-only games, take on another five teams only on the road, and battle five teams in a home-and-away format.
In short, the Knights will have 10 home-and-away games this season, and these five programs—Colorado Buffaloes, Kansas Jayhawks, Iowa State Cyclones, Oklahoma State University Cowboys, and TCU Hornfrogs—have combined for 46 NCAA Tournament appearances in the prior ten seasons.
UCF will play the BYU Cougars, Cincinnati Bearcats, Houston Cougars, Kansas State Wildcats, and Utah Utes in home games this season while taking on Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Texas Tech, and West Virginia exclusively on the road.
The Knights surpassed all expectations in their Big 12 debut last season, racking seven wins in conference battles and finishing with a decent 17-16 overall record. Although they were not invited to the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, UCF played in the NIT as the No.4 seed, losing to South Florida 77-93 in the first round.
UCF to Introduce Moustapha Thiam
The Knights significantly boosted their roster this summer after adding some intriguing prospects, including the No.1 ranked center in the class of 2025, Moustapha Thiam.
Thiam reclassified in June to make him eligible to play for the Knights this season. The 7-foot-2 Senegalese will anchor UCF’s defense and go-to scorer inside the paint next season.
NEWS: Moustapha Thiam, ESPN's No. 1 ranked center in the class of 2025, will reclassify and enroll at UCF this summer, grassroots program director Anthony Ricks told ESPN. The 7'2 Senegalese big man has a 7'5 wingspan and 9'7 standing reach.
STORY: https://t.co/iOuMTwITbH pic.twitter.com/NG3pl2qP1C
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) June 5, 2024
Thiam started to make some noise when he impressed scouts with his terrific play at the Adidas 3SSB circuit. He served as the focal point of Austin Rivers SE Elite in the tournament. In 28 minutes per game, he averaged 15.2 points, 7.2 rebounds, 3.7 blocks, and 1.0 steals.
