Carrying an eight-game winning streak, the program’s longest since the 2004-05 campaign, UCF is looking to put the finishing touches on a very successful nonconference slate.
After a nine-day layoff, the Knights (9-1) continued their recent dominance with an 81-63 home win over Mercer on Wednesday. Now, their last two nonleague tests come against in-state rivals beginning with Florida Gulf Coast (5-6) on Saturday in Orlando.
“That was a long stretch (of not) playing for us and so my biggest concern was keeping them in shape, trying to keep them in rhythm,” UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. “I give our guys credit. I thought the leadership was good from a player perspective and our staff did a great job of making sure that when we got to practice, we made it very competitive.”
The Knights fought off some rust in the first half against Mercer, putting up just 35 points in the first 20 minutes. In the second half, however, the Knights showed flashes of the offense that has them poised to compete once Big 12 play rolls around.
Jordan Burks led the way with 17 points against Mercer, and Riley Kugel chipped in with 16. Themus Fulks added 14 points, and Jamichael Stillwell recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
UCF also received 22 points from its bench and forced 17 turnovers.
“I like the fact that we didn’t let us not making shots, especially early on in the first half, affect how we guarded,” Dawkins said. “That’s a sign of a team that’s maturing when they understand that your offense should not affect how you guard. I thought we did a very good job of that. I think earlier in the year that would have affected us, and it didn’t affect us (on Wednesday).”
While an explosive offense has been the calling card so far this season for the Knights, Dawkins knows UCF will need to continue to show improvement on defense before the start of conference play on Jan. 3 against No. 17 Kansas.
“I think we’re working in the right direction,” Dawkins said. “You look at our last three games and you see improvement defensively. We have got to continue to get better in that area prior to the start of league play, and the guys are working towards that.”
As for Florida Gulf Coast, it has been a nonconference slate to forget. The Eagles come into the Saturday in-state clash on a four-game losing streak. The defense has been a problem for Florida Gulf Coast, which allowed 86.8 points per game during that span.
The defensive effort will be put to the test once again vs. UCF, which is averaging 87.3 points per game this season.
Most recently, the Eagles took a 75-56 loss at New Mexico on Sunday. Florida Gulf Coast actually produced its best opponents’ field-goal percentage of the season, 36.7%, but the Lobos compiled a 44-29 rebounding edge and outscored the Eagles 24-9 at the foul line.
No Florida Gulf Coast player put up double-figure points against New Mexico, but three Eagles are averaging in double figures for the season: J.R. Konieczny (15.9 points per game), Jordan Ellerbee (14.8) and Rahmir Barno (14.2). Konieczny also grabs a team-best 7.0 rebounds per contest.
–Field Level Media
