Go ahead and admit it. As a UCF fan, you absolutely knew it was coming, right?
All kidding aside, the all but total roster turnover led many to believe that this UCF Knights basketball team would be struggling for much of the 2022-23 season. It’s hard to gain chemistry when over half a roster changes, afterall.
After watching the Knights erase a 17-point deficit versus Oklahoma State Friday night en route to a 60-56 win, and then playing their tough-nosed defense against Santa Clara Sunday night to clinch the Baha Mar Bahamas Championship with a 57-50 victory, this team deserved credit.
To all the players on the roster, coaches too, a tip of the cap and applause was certainly earned with how they’ve all performed so far this season.
They play and coach together. It starts with the defensive rotation. UCF players run at shooters and make it harder for opponents to knock down jumpers. That’s a huge reason that the Knights held the Broncos to 18-59 shooting 30.5% on the evening, including 8-29 from behind the three-point arc for a porous 27.6%.
UCF's length also impacted Santa Clara's shooting, with center Michael Durr and guard C.J. Kelly being two of the players that caused issues for Broncos shooters.
Looking back at the first 10 minutes of the game, UCF held Santa Clara to just nine points. Santa Clara did not reach 20 points until the 18.24 mark of the second half. That’s defense.
The game flow favored the Knights all evening long. UCF moved the ball and drove the lanes when possible. While UCF still needed to knock down a higher percentage of shots itself, hitting 39.6%, the plan itself was good.
Freshman forward Taylor Hendricks was the offensive catalyst with 19 points, plus chipping in four rebounds and a block. He hit three shots from downtown, and also attacked the rim.
His throwdown with 47 seconds remaining was a fitting end to the game, as the Knights went up 56-46 at that juncture.
This UCF team played well in the Bahamas and became tournament champs. It’s great to see and a welcome surprise. Next up for head coach Johnny Dawkins and UCF (4-1), hosting Evansville (Nov. 23). After that, Miami (Nov. 27) comes to Addition Financial Arena.
More must-reads: