UCF has already had to grind for both of its wins, and that kind of early-season stress test has the Knights sitting at 2-0 heading into Tuesday’s home game against South Alabama.
The latest escape came Friday in an 87-75 victory over Yale, when UCF trailed by three at halftime before flipping the game with a 48-point second half. Before that, the Knights needed overtime to edge Florida Gulf Coast, so this team has spent its first two outings proving it can dig out of trouble.
“A big part of any team’s success is finding ways to win when things aren’t going as well,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “We’ve shown ability to do that in our first couple of games. We’ve been down at halftime and we fought hard to find a way to win.”
Dior Johnson has been the engine behind that start. After returning to the program following a season at Tarleton State, the 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 34.5 points per game. Against Yale, he led the way again with 28 points and seven rebounds.
UCF has gotten more than just one-man production, though. Riley Kugel, Arturo Dean and Elijah Hulsewe each added 10 points in the win, giving the Knights a little more balance behind Johnson’s scoring burst.
South Alabama arrives at 1-1 after a wild double-overtime win over Jacksonville State on Thursday, a game that looked out of reach before the Jaguars clawed back. They trailed by 16 in the second half and by 10 with 86 seconds left, then surged late behind Stephen Williams and Jalen Langsy.
Williams finished with 27 points and 13 rebounds on 13-of-16 shooting, and his basket to tie the game in regulation helped send it to overtime. After the game, South Alabama coach Richie Riley had plenty to say about his forward’s performance: “He was a monster.
After the other game, I challenged him to be the most dominant big and impose his will,” Riley said after the 83-80 win. “He did that tonight.
He was bodying guys and finishing through contact. He had three big offensive rebounds down the stretch.”
Langsy added 25 points and four steals, while Aaron Goldstein scored 17 and hit three 3-pointers. The one area that gave South Alabama trouble was the perimeter, where the Jaguars made just 18.5% of their 3-point attempts.
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UCFs Bowl Push Now Comes Down To Avoiding Another Letdown
Coming off a road win over Kansas, UCF has put itself in position to chase postseason eligibility, but the margin for error is still razor thin. With a 5-4 record, the Knights need one more victory to lock up a bowl berth, and Scott Frost has made it clear the next step is less about celebrating the last one and more about keeping the same edge that carried them through it.
Arizona State offers a different kind of test, one built around a young offense that can lean on its run game and force defenders to stay disciplined snap after snap. For UCF, the assignment is straightforward in theory and tricky in practice: keep the Sun Devils from controlling the line of scrimmage, stay focused for four quarters, and avoid the kind of letdown that could turn a promising push into another missed opportunity. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Backfield Suddenly Faces A Huge Concern Before Arizona State
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Landen Chambers situation is still less clear, which only adds to the uncertainty around how much help UCF will have in the backfield. Scott Frost is expected to address both injuries in his upcoming press conference, and until then Taevion Swint looks like the next man who could be asked to take on a bigger workload if the Knights need to reshuffle their rotation. [Read more 🡒]