The UCF men’s basketball team is heading into the holiday stretch with serious momentum - and a growing reputation as one of the nation’s most dangerous squads.
Winners of nine straight, the Knights are off to a 10-1 start, one of the best opening runs in program history. And they’re not just winning - they’re dominating.
Eight of those nine victories have come by double digits, with an average margin of victory sitting at a commanding 18.2 points per game. That’s not just a hot streak - that’s a team finding its identity and imposing it on opponents.
Their most recent statement came in a 102-80 rout of Florida Gulf Coast, where UCF lit it up from deep and rewrote the school record books with 19 made three-pointers. That kind of shooting performance isn’t just eye-catching - it’s the kind of offensive firepower that can change the ceiling of a season.
So far, the Knights are shooting a blistering 49.6% from the field and 40% from beyond the arc. That balance - inside and out - is exactly what head coach Johnny Dawkins has been preaching.
“We’re trying to build a balanced roster with perimeter players and post players,” Dawkins said. “I think our guys are starting to understand that.
This is still a process. We’re not where we want to be yet, but we’re moving in the right direction.”
And what makes this run even more impressive? It’s happening with a roster that’s still learning how to play together.
UCF brought in 13 new players during the offseason - 11 of them via the transfer portal. That’s a massive overhaul, and it came with a clean slate: UCF is one of just five Power Four programs that returned zero scoring from last season.
But the Knights aren’t just surviving that transition - they’re thriving in it.
Forward Jordan Burks has emerged as the team’s leading scorer at 13.7 points per game. Right behind him is guard Riley Kugel at 13.3, with Themus Fulks and Jamichael Stillwell both contributing 12.4 points per game. That kind of balanced scoring across the board makes UCF tough to scout and even tougher to stop.
Fulks, who’s also dishing out a team-best 6.7 assists per game, acknowledged the early growing pains but sees a team coming together at the right time.
“Earlier in the year, we didn’t have great chemistry on the floor,” Fulks said. “We’re a new team, and that takes time. As the season’s gone on, we’ve started to understand each other more.”
Veteran forward Devan Cambridge, averaging 6.4 points and 4 rebounds, echoed that sentiment and pointed to the team’s unselfish mentality as a major strength heading into conference play.
“Almost every night, it’s going to be a different guy,” Cambridge said. “Conference play is coming up and I’ve been through it.
It’s about trusting your work and believing in yourself. But that’s how this team is.
Everyone shows up, competes, and isn’t worried about roles. When you play like that, you get rewarded.”
One player looking to bounce back is Kugel, who’s hit a rough patch over the past four games, averaging just 5.5 points and going scoreless in two of those contests - including the FGCU game. Still, Dawkins isn’t sounding any alarms. He sees the dip as a product of two things: increased defensive attention and a tough stretch in the schedule that included a 10-day break for finals.
“He’s one of our go-to guys, so of course he’s going to receive a lot of attention,” Dawkins said. “The break … It’s been the biggest challenge we’ve had so far. Playing two or three games in maybe 20 days, that’s tough and you can get out of rhythm.”
While Kugel finds his footing, others are stepping up. Jamichael Stillwell continues to be a force inside, logging his fifth double-double of the season in the win over FGCU. His consistency has been a stabilizing factor for a team that’s still molding its identity.
UCF wraps up its non-conference slate with a marquee neutral-site matchup against FAU on Tuesday at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex. Then it’s on to the Big 12 gauntlet, starting at home on Jan. 3 against No. 17 Kansas - a true measuring stick game for a program that’s quickly gaining national attention.
The Knights enter the week ranked 33rd in the NCAA NET rankings - seventh-best in the Big 12 - and they’re staring down the fourth-toughest remaining schedule in the conference, per ESPN’s Power Index. Only Utah, Kansas, and Arizona State face a steeper path.
But if the first 11 games have shown us anything, it’s that this UCF team isn’t backing down from anything. They’ve got depth, they’ve got shooters, and they’re starting to build the kind of chemistry that can carry a team deep into March.