The Big 12 is as stacked as ever this season, and while the usual powerhouses are getting their due, one team flying under the radar is making a serious case to crash the national conversation: the UCF Knights.
Sitting at 17-4 overall and 6-3 in conference play, UCF is keeping pace with the likes of BYU, Texas Tech, and Kansas-teams that have been mainstays in the Top 25 this season. They’re just a step behind the elite tier of Arizona, Houston, and Iowa State, but make no mistake: the Knights are earning their seat at the table.
And yet, despite the résumé, they’re still unranked.
Let’s break that down.
Johnny Dawkins has this UCF squad playing some of the best basketball in the program’s history. They’ve already cracked the Top 25 once this season, and after a statement win over then-No.
11 Texas Tech, it’s hard to justify their continued absence from the rankings. That wasn’t just a win-it was a message.
UCF didn’t sneak past a top team; they took the game to them and came out on top.
Look at the current Big 12 standings and you’ll see a who's who of college basketball heavyweights: No. 1 Arizona, No.
8 Houston, No. 7 Iowa State, No.
11 Kansas, No. 13 Texas Tech, No.
16 BYU-and then there’s UCF, sitting right there among them, but without the number next to their name.
So why the snub?
Metrics-wise, UCF is holding its own. They’re No. 37 in the NET Rankings and No. 45 in KenPom-solid numbers that reflect a team not just winning, but competing at a high level.
Their biggest knock? A 4-4 record in Quad 1 games.
That’s not a red flag-that’s the reality of playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country. Those four losses came against three ranked teams-Arizona, Iowa State, and Vanderbilt-and a tricky road game at Oklahoma State.
That’s not a résumé killer; that’s battle-tested.
Outside of those four games? UCF is perfect. They’ve taken care of business every time they were expected to, and they’ve shown they can rise to the occasion when the lights are brightest.
The AP Poll dropped again on February 2, and somehow, UCF was still left out. With the way they’re playing-and the quality of opponents they’ve faced-it’s getting harder and harder to justify their omission.
This isn’t just a team with a good record. This is a team with a legitimate claim to national relevance.
Whether or not the poll voters catch up, one thing is clear: UCF is for real. And if they keep playing like this, they won’t just be a tournament team-they’ll be a team nobody wants to see come March.