UCF basketball: 3 reasons to like Knights’ undefeated start to 2024-25 season

Already receiving votes in the USA TODAY Sports Men’s Basketball Coaches Poll, and knocking on the door of the top 25, UCF is off to a 3-0 start for just the second time in its last seven seasons.

The Knights scored a victory against a top-15 opponent to kick off the campaign and defended their home floor further against a solid pair of mid-majors. Senior guard Darius Johnson moved to within six points of becoming the 21st player in program history to record 1,000 points.

UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said his group — featuring nine arrivals from the transfer portal and two true freshmen — is still learning to play together. Results suggest the team might be ahead of schedule, an important development two months before league play in, perhaps, the deepest basketball conference in the country.

Ahead of Tuesday’s contest against Tennessee Tech, here are three things to like about how the Knights have started the 2024-25 season.

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UCF unfazed by slow starts, early 3-point shooting woes

Nov 12, 2024; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights guard Keyshawn Hall (4) shoots a three point basket during the second half against the Florida Atlantic Owls at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images

Dawkins stated Tuesday that his team has “got to get better” at the start of games. UCF missed its first eight shots against Texas A&M, its first nine versus Purdue Fort Wayne and fell into a 10-1 hole against Florida Atlantic within two minutes.

And yet, UCF has managed to absorb early punches from its opponents and counter successfully over the course of 40 minutes.

On Tuesday, the Knights shook off a three-point shooting slump to sink 13 of their 28 attempts from beyond the arc. In their first two games, they combined to make 10 of 46 three-pointers — a conversion rate that ranked near the bottom of Division I.

To combat those initial woes, UCF consistently worked its way to the free-throw line….

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ucf-basketball-3-reasons-knights-100201080.html

Author : Daytona Beach News-Journal

Publish date : 2024-11-18 10:02:00

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