UCF’s men’s basketball team is getting one more chance to sharpen the edges before the games start counting.
The Knights added a free exhibition against Division II Rollins College for next Sunday, setting up their lone home appearance before the regular season at Addition Financial Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
It also gives fans a first real look at Johnny Dawkins’ revamped roster, with transfers Dior Johnson and Lewis Walker already showing they can score. Johnson poured in 18 points Tuesday, 16 of them in the second half, while Walker added 13.
That duo is a big part of why UCF went after backcourt help during April’s transfer portal cycle. Dawkins lost more than 75% of his scoring for the second straight season, with Riley Kugel and Themus Fulks pursuing their NBA dreams.
The Rollins game will be the 42nd meeting between the programs, with UCF holding a 25-16 edge in the all-time series. The teams have not played since 2006, when the Knights escaped with an 83-80 overtime win behind 26 points from Jermaine Taylor and 25 from Mike O'Donnell.
UCF will close its exhibition schedule against Kentucky on Oct. 28, marking the second time the two teams have met since 2006.
The Knights are trying to build chemistry quickly after coming close against LSU on Tuesday. Josh Peppers scored 15 points and Justin Rose posted a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double, and UCF put together a 31-point second half. But the comeback fell short in a 59-57 loss, with late mistakes proving costly after the Knights dug a seven-point hole in the first half.
Even so, the matchup against LSU - and the upcoming one with Kentucky - should give UCF a tougher edge before the season opens. Dawkins wants to carry that momentum into a year that could match some of his best work in Orlando.
He guided the Knights to a 20-10 record last season and a quarterfinal trip in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament, giving UCF back-to-back 20-win seasons. That run also sent the Knights to the NCAA Tournament and ended a six-season drought.
Dawkins also found himself across from a familiar opponent in Mick Cronin, whose UCLA team beat UCF in the first round after the two coaches had squared off multiple times when Cronin was in the American Conference.
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UCF Showed Promise But One Late Issue Still Looks Costly
UCF got a useful early test Monday night in Baton Rouge, pushing LSU deep into the closing moments before falling 85-81 in an exhibition game at Maravich Assembly Center. Dior Johnson led the Knights with 18 points, and the effort suggested there is real scoring punch in the group as it settles in ahead of the season.
Still, the final minute showed how thin the margin can be against a team with LSUs shot-making. The Tigers leaned on Abdi Bashirs 26 points and got just enough down the stretch to escape, leaving UCF with encouraging signs to build on and one late-game problem that could linger if it shows up again when the games count. [Read more 🡒]
Auburn Already Has An Early Rotation Problem Fans Will Notice
Exhibition season has a way of surfacing issues before they become problems, and Auburn got a glimpse of that against Florida State in one of the days four college basketball tuneups. The slate also included UT-Martin against Northern Kentucky, St. Johns against Drexel and LSU against UCF, with several newcomers across the sport making immediate impressions as teams tested lineups and roles ahead of the real thing.
For Auburn, the takeaway was less about the final numbers and more about how early rotations can already start to narrow. Around the country, other schools were already seeing new faces tilt the action in useful ways, which is why the Tigers own exhibition look matters now as much as it does later. The gap between a promising preseason run and a workable regular-season rotation can close quickly, and Auburns first preview offered an early hint that not every spot is settled yet. [Read more 🡒]
UCF Showed Enough At LSU To Spark One Big Debate
UCF left Baton Rouge with an 85-81 exhibition loss to LSU, but the result did not feel like the whole story. The Knights spent much of the night trading punches in a game with multiple lead changes, and several players turned in strong showings that gave the staff plenty to sort through before the games start counting.
Dior Johnson was at the center of it, leading UCF with 18 points in a performance that hinted at how dangerous this group can look when it finds a rhythm. The Knights still have one more preseason test at Kentucky on Oct. 28 before opening the regular season Nov. 2 against Florida Gulf Coast, and the bigger question now is how much of what they showed in an exhibition setting can carry over once the calendar flips. [Read more 🡒]