UCF’s place in the Big 12 preseason coaches poll says plenty about how the league views the Knights right now: not much. Johnny Dawkins’ team checked in at 13th, even after shaking off a six-year NCAA Tournament drought and proving it could beat teams with much louder brands.
That slot lands UCF behind Oklahoma State at 11th and Cincinnati at 8th, two programs that did not make the NCAA Tournament. The contrast is hard to miss. UCF beat Cincinnati in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, then carried that run to Philadelphia as a No. 10 seed.
The résumé is stronger than the ranking suggests. The Knights have strung together back-to-back 20-win seasons, pulled off three upset victories and reached the tournament, yet that still wasn’t enough to move them higher in the poll.
Part of the answer comes down to how these preseason projections are built. The transfer portal window in April and the incoming freshman class matter, and Dawkins is working with fewer advantages than some of the coaches ahead of him.
UCF is not operating like Kansas or Arizona, both of which had multiple players taken in this year’s NBA draft. It also doesn’t have the kind of NIL money that lets schools chase top-end talent; last season’s roster was estimated at around $3 to $4 million in NIL.
Even with those constraints, Dawkins found a way to get results. UCF knocked off Darryn Peterson and No.
17 Kansas, JT Toppin and No. 11 Texas Tech and AJ Dybantsa and No.
19 BYU, all of which helped build the case that the Knights were better than their profile.
His roster-building has also been put to the test. UCF lost nearly 100% of its scoring in back-to-back seasons, which forced Dawkins to reshape the team through the portal.
Last season’s top four scorers were Riley Kugel, Themus Fulks, Jamichael Stilwell and Jordan Burks. Together, they accounted for 65.8% of UCF’s 81 points per game.
Now those names are elsewhere. Kugel and Fulks are chasing their NBA dream in the Las Vegas Summer League with the Los Angeles Clippers. Stilwell moved on to Texas Tech with another season of eligibility, and Burks transferred to Oklahoma State.
There were still reasons for optimism in Wednesday’s loss to LSU. Johnson scored 19 points on 9-for-17 shooting, while Walker added 13 off the bench.
UCF may not land the biggest-name recruits, such as Tyran Stokes, or the splashiest transfer additions, like Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, but Dawkins has shown he can identify players who fit his program and his vision. The preseason poll may not reflect it, but the Knights enter with a case for more respect than No. 13.
In Other News...
Tacko Fall Just Gave UCF Fans Real Reason To Watch Philly
Tacko Fall is headed to Philadelphia on a deal that gives him a real shot to stick, and for UCF fans, it is a familiar name suddenly worth tracking again. Fall first agreed to a training camp contract with the 76ers, and the move gives the big man a chance to add frontcourt depth for a team dealing with injuries and uncertainty around Joel Embiid.
Fall has been out of the NBA since his run with Cleveland in 2021, but his path back has taken him through the Australian NBL and the Chinese Basketball Association. Now he is in position to contribute in Philadelphia, and for Knights fans, it is one more reason to keep an eye on a roster that could need size in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Fans Have A Bye Week With Big 12 Stakes To Watch
With UCF on a bye week, Saturday still carries plenty of weight for Knights fans looking ahead on the schedule. Several Big 12 games will help shape the backdrop for the rest of October, including BYUs meeting with Notre Dame, along with Baylor vs. TCU and Kansas vs. Kansas State. Those matchups are worth following not just for the standings, but because they offer a clearer picture of the opponents UCF will see soon enough.
BYU is the biggest one on the radar, since the Cougars are set to visit UCF on Oct. 24. Their matchup with Notre Dame could tell the Knights whether they are preparing for an unbeaten opponent or one coming off its first loss, and there is also added uncertainty around BYUs backfield because of an injury to star running back LJ Martin. For a team on the sideline this week, it is still a useful Saturday for scoreboard watching. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Is Fighting To Keep A Local Five-Star Home
RJ Evans is the kind of local prospect UCF would love to make a centerpiece, not just because he plays at The Academy of Central Florida, but because he already looks like the sort of high-end talent programs build around. The five-star forward in the Class of 2029 has made it clear he is focused first on fit and opportunity as he thinks long term about an NBA future, which puts the Knights in the conversation right alongside programs with far more national recruiting cachet.
Johnny Dawkins has shown he can sell development to elite players, and UCF has a real pitch when it comes to keeping a top prospect close to home. Still, the competition is steep, with blueblood-level attention and other major programs circling, and Evans is weighing a broader group of options as this recruitment begins to take shape. [Read more 🡒]