UCF coach Johnny Dawkins knew just how good Big 12 basketball was, and so far the conference hasn’t disappointed in the Knights’ first season.
Eight of the 14 teams in the league were ranked in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll on Monday — the most of any conference. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi has nine Big 12 teams making the NCAA Tournament in his latest Bracketology predictions.
“Every single night you go out there, you play an opponent where there can never take a night off,” said Dawkins. “It’s been true for us for the seven games we’ve played. That’s how it’s felt every single game. It’s felt like an NCAA Tournament game.
“Every opponent is well-coached, every team has a lot of talent, and therefore, every possession becomes important.”
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UCF (12-7, 3-4 Big 12) has felt that electric atmosphere, particularly with wins against Kansas (Jan. 10) and Texas (Jan. 17), but the Knights also have felt the sting of difficult losses to BYU (63-58) and Cincinnati (68-57).
Dawkins’ team faces a crucial two-week stretch with UCF set to face four consecutive ranked opponents starting with No. 18 Baylor (14-5, 3-3) and No. 23 Oklahoma (15-5, 3-4) in home games Wednesday and Saturday.
“You want to defend your home court,” Dawkins said. “The guys understand the magnitude of that. It’s very important that we defend our home. We want to make sure we go out there with a winning effort every single time and try to defend our home.”
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Added senior guard Darius Johnson: “These games are crucial. After them, we have to go on the road, but we’re trying to stay focused on going 1-0 and taking one step at a time, one game at a time.”
The Knights are 9-3 at Addition Financial Arena, with two conference wins coming in an upset over then-No. 3 Kansas (65-60) and West Virginia (72-59).
“It’s definitely important to come out and win these two games,” said guard Jaylin Sellers. “It’s good to take care of home court.”
UCF is coming off a road loss at Cincinnati on Saturday, where the Knights squandered a 12-point halftime lead after shooting 21% from the field in the second half.
“We did some good things and I thought some guys stepped up in the absence of a few of our players and gave some good contributions,” said Dawkins. “We have to play better defensively from the standpoint of getting back in transition. We have got to rebound the ball better.”
The Knights were without fifth-year guard Shemarri Allen (ankle) and fifth-year forward C.J. Walker (knee).
“Both are still recovering, but they’re improving,” Dawkins said of his seniors. “[For C.J.] it’s day-to-day right now with where he is, but he’s making progress, and hopefully, it’s something that will be short-lived.”
Fifth-year forward Ibrahima Diallo also missed much of the Cincinnati game after getting into early foul trouble before fouling out midway through the second half.
“He’s a mature player, and he understands what he needs to do to not put himself in that position and to understand his value to our team,” added Dawkins.
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Sellers, who led the team with 19 points, played through a back injury.
“I’ve been struggling with it since probably since the Kansas game,” said Sellers, who leads the team in scoring 17.2 points per game. “It’s better. [I’m] just getting treatment each and every day and making sure I’m healthy for the rest of the season.”
Beating the Bears would be extra special for Dawkins, who is one win shy of 300 for his career.
“It would be great to get this win here in Orlando,” he said. “It’s home and what this community has meant to us and my family. I’m very grateful for the opportunities that I’ve had here and getting a chance to coach the young men and coaching for this university.”
Email Matt Murschel at [email protected] or follow him on X at @osmattmurschel.