The UCF Knights are riding high, and at the center of their surge is a point guard who's quickly becoming one of the Big 12’s most impactful players.
After UCF stunned No. 11 Texas Tech over the weekend-marking their second win this season over a ranked opponent-the Big 12 recognized Themus Fulks as one of the conference’s Starting Five for the week. It’s the second time this season Fulks has earned the honor, and it’s not hard to see why.
Against Texas Tech, Fulks poured in 21 points and dished out seven assists, putting on a clinic in poise and playmaking. It was his fifth 20-point outing of the season, and more importantly, it came in a statement win that’s helping reshape the narrative around this UCF program in its first year of Big 12 play.
Fulks has been a steady hand and a spark plug all in one-something head coach Johnny Dawkins was quick to point out after the upset win. “He sets a tone out there for us-what we want to do, both offensively and defensively,” Dawkins said. “Whether it’s in a timeout or on the floor, time and score situations-his composure has been really good from a point guard position.”
That composure has been hard-earned. Fulks has taken the long road to get to this moment.
Originally from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the 6'2" guard began his college career at South Carolina State back in 2020. Since then, he’s made stops at Dodge City Community College, Louisiana, and most recently Milwaukee, where he led the Horizon League in assists and earned Second-Team All-League honors.
Now in his first season with UCF, Fulks is making every stop along the way look like a stepping stone. He’s averaging 14.2 points and 7.2 assists per game-good for fourth in the nation in dimes-and has been directly responsible for over a third of UCF’s total scoring output this season. That’s 660 points either scored or assisted by Fulks, a staggering number that speaks to just how central he is to everything the Knights do on offense.
And the timing couldn’t be better. UCF is 17-4 overall and 6-3 in Big 12 play heading into a marquee matchup on the road against No.
8 Houston this Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
ET on FS1, and the Knights will be looking to break a long drought against the Cougars-they haven’t beaten Houston since the 2018-2019 season, which also happens to be the last time UCF danced in March.
But with Fulks steering the ship, this UCF team isn’t just hoping for a return to the tournament-they’re building a case to be taken seriously in one of college basketball’s toughest conferences. And if Fulks keeps playing like this, don’t be surprised if he’s got a few more Starting Five nods-and maybe a postseason run-still ahead.