Now even the poors can enjoy their pours in the bleacher seats.

2 p.m.

TCU at No. 14 Iowa State (ESPN2)

3 p.m.

West Virginia at Texas (LHN/ESPN+)

4 p.m.

UCF at No. 23 Texas Tech (ESPN+)
No. 5 Houston at Cincinnati (ESPN2)

6 p.m.

No. 13 Baylor at No. 4 Kansas (ESPN)

7 p.m.

Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (ESPN+)

10 p.m.

Kansas State at No. 21 BYU (ESPN2)

UCF improves to 12-10 and 3-9 in conference and tied for 12th in the league.

Texas Tech is 16-9 with a win over #24 Iowa State.

Oh, and usf WBB continues their tailspin losing to Temple today. Love to see it.

A little pre-Super Bowl humor for you...

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I love his comments/replies on twitter.

I ran across this fan page for Saudi football team Al Nassr, which Christiano Ronaldo plays for, and noticed they use a version of our updated Knightro logo.

Just really strange.

Let’s Goooo Ladies…

Seattle vs UCF game time start at 6:40 pm….

Hello. I have two girls ages 8 and 4 in Knightros kids club. They have been saving their points hoping to use them for an activity at a softball game. There is nothing on the app stating you can get points or use them at softball games, only baseball.

I've already tried emailing the person listed as a contact but it's stating it's in an invalid email. Anyone have any experience on this matter or know who I can contact? Thanks!

This was posted on the Texas Tech board by chaseallen_44. I'm really impressed.

====================

Just like the Cinci game was a swing game I think this game against UCF is very similar. Tech needs a win in the worst of ways and holding serve at home is the best way to do this. UCF is a team that shares a few characteristics with Cinci but I see them more as the stepped-on version, especially on offense. They are large, athletic, and old as hell, so generally a pain in the ass to play. On the plus side UCF does not shoot efficiently from anywhere on the floor and are probably the worst offensive team in the conference. Weirdly enough even with their size and athleticism and the fact that they are a good offensive rebounding team, UCF finishes at a very low rate close to the basket. But despite the fact that UCF is not great offensively they are a very good defensive team and have alot of the qualities that Tech has struggled with this season. Tech cannot sleepwalk into this game and I hope to the holy basketball gods that they are not sick (or just not as sick). UCF has beaten good teams this year. I am interested to see if Tech comes out playing with a real purpose. Because this is a must win game.

UCF by the numbers:

• 66th in the country per Kenpom
  • 185th on offense
  • 9th on defense
• 75th in the country per Haslametrics
  • 197th on offense
  • 12th on defense
• 62nd in the country per Torvik
  • 204th on offense
  • 6th on defense
• 26th in the country in SPG
• 10th in the country in BPG and 3rd in the country in block %
• Turn the ball over a lot - 275th in the country in TO% on offense
• Turn the opposing team over alot - 24th in the country in defensive TO%
• Rebound well - 48th in the country in OR%
• 16th in the country in 2p% allowed - 16%
• Get to the line well - 51st in the country in FTAR but only shoot 70% (240th)
• 299th in the country in near proximity fg%
• Shoot 42% from the field - 271st in the country
• Opponents shoot 39.9% from the field - 25th in the country
• 142nd in the country in 3PAR allowed
• 3rd best near proximity fg% allowed in the country - 47%

Players to Know:

• Darius Johnson - 3rd year PG and the leader of this UCF team. Johnson is the rare home-grown guard who has steadily improved over his tenure. Funnily enough he is the godson of the UCF HC. Offensively he is one of the few players on the roster who is capable of getting his own shot. Needless to say, more than anyone else on the team they go as he goes. Offensively he is solid if unspectacular. UCF puts him in a ton of ball screens with their bigs or wings where he is solid, but he struggles to finish at the basket. He is not a great athlete, but he is very strong and uses his strength well to get positioning but when he gets to the rim, he has trouble shooting over lengthy defenders. On the perimeter he is almost exclusively looking for his pull up. He is an above average three point shooter (38%) but he runs very hot and cold. A solid passer but has had problems with turnovers. Struggled against Cinci and UH. Gets to the line at a fairly decent clip and shoots right under 80%. On defense Johnson is a bulldog who lives in the air space of the ballhandler. He is very strong for his size and can hold his own against bigger players. Extremely quick hands, averaging 2 spg, and he is at his best ripping and running in transition off of TO's. Averaging 13.1 ppg, 3 rpg, 4 apg, 2 spg. 6'1 200.
• 
  
• Jaylin Sellers - Transfer from Ball State with a rep as a shooter and the best scorer on UCF's roster. Sellers is the best bucket-getter for the UCF and really the only guy wired to score first. He is well-built for a combo guard and is a good athlete. Doesn't have a crazy deep bag or the flashiest handle but gets to his spots. Lefty who is very LH dominant and doesn't go right often. Sellers is a strong downhill driver who attacks closeouts hard and can get to the rim as a two-foot finisher. He absorbs contact well and lives at the FT line (86% on over 5 attempts a game). Will pull up from mid-range as well and flashes a post-up game situationally. His weakness is shooting from deep. Historically Sellers is a very good shooter (`45% from three his first two years) but this year he is shooting under 30% on a high-volume diet. He can also get very trigger happy from deep and takes some bad deep 3's. But, this is also a guy who can go on an absolute heater from three if left regularly unattended. Sellers is not looking to pass, he is looking to shoot first for sure. Very good in transition. On defense he is not the ball-hawk that Johnson is but he is a very good perimeter defender and has the highest DWS rating on the team. He will body up and push guards way outside the offense. Averages 17.2 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.2 apg and 1.3 spg. 6'4 196.
• 
  
• Ibrahim Diallo - Transfer by way of Ohio State and San Jose State. Diallo is the defensive hub of this UCF team. Offensively he is mostly a rim runner who gets most of his looks off of lobs and put backs but UCF at times will try to work through him in the post. He is uber aggressive on both ends of the floor and attacks hard when posted up but he does not have the best touch or most advanced moves. Really goes at the offensive glass and is very effective considering he is huge and has a high motor. Physical screen setter. Bad FT shooter at 56%. His strength is on the defensive end. In only at mpg Diallo is the leading shot blocker in the conference. He changes the entire geometry of the court when he is on the floor and has real gravity as a shot blocker. Diallo has very good timing and alters just as many shots as he blocks. Mobile enough to play in space a bit and goes to the glass hard. Has a tendency to get in foul trouble quickly. Averaging 6.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg, 2 bpg. 7'0 250.
• 
  
• Shemarri Allen - Transfer from UMKC and former All-Summit league honoree. Allen is the third starting guard on most nights but has had some injury trouble in conference play. Very inefficient offensively and not a shooter. Will work some in ball screens and has a bit of shake to his game and real size for a guard. He is not a great athlete but uses his size and strength well on defense. Allen is what I call a "chaos causing defender" and has tremendous anticipation and hands on that end. And is constantly deflecting/stealing the ball and is a turnover causing machine. His best offense is turning the opposing team over. Averaging 7.3 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.6 apg, 1.9 apg, and .8 bpg. 6'4 190.
• 
  
• Marchelus Avery/Antwann Jones - These two are both long and twitchy wing types. Avery (6'7 210) is the more offensive minded of the two and has some perimeter skill to his game. He is UCF's third leading scorer and 6th man. On offense he is mostly a jump shooter who takes over half of his shots from deep where he shoots a solid ~37% on 4 a game. Inside the arc he is not a great finisher for his size and has a habit of taking tough, contested jumpers. Very streaky and can shoot himself in or out of a game. Averages 9 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .7 spg. Jones (6'6 220) is a high-efficiency, low usage player who has started to play a bigger role lately. Shoots 47% from deep on low volume. Averages 4.9 ppg, 2 rpg, .7 spg. Both are switchable defenders who run the floor hard.
• 
  
• Omar Payne/ Thierno Sylla - Are the backup bigs. Payne (6'10, 230) is a transfer from Florida/Illinois/Jacksonville who is so old he played in the tournament against the 2018 Texas Tech team. He is your typical bruiser and garbage man on offense and an excellent shot blocker on defense. But is one of the more foul prone players in the conference. Sylla (6'11 216) is a perimeter-oriented big who takes mostly jumpers. Nice looking shot but he is not a good shooter % wise. Shoots 29% from three and 42% from two. Averages 4.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg, .5 bpg.

Keys to the game:

• Actually win at the FT line - Winning at the FT line has been a constant for this iteration of Tech basketball but they have not done so during this three-game slide. Need to get back to that aggressive nature and play to one of their strengths. Also, getting UCF's bigs in foul trouble would be an added bonus. UCF likes to foul.
• 
  
• Value the ball - Another issue that has been a thorn in Tech's side as of late is ball security. Whether it has been fatigue driven or just trying to force things Tech has seen an uptick in TO's. UCF's best offense is causing the opposing team to cough up the rock. They thrive off of it so no soft passes or leaving your feet to make a pass this weekend.
• 
  
• Efficient Pop - I know he has been sick but Pop has semi-reverted to the start of the season where he was uber-inefficient and pressing way too much. Tech needs the version of Pop who was playing at his own tempo. He doesn't have to be the picture of efficiency but shooting north of 40% would be great. Tech has to win the battle of the guards in this one.
• 
  
• Zpacks - This is just me pleading for Tech to at least be semi-healthy coming into Saturday. They desperately need Washington to be playable. He might not be their best player but he damn sure is their most important.

After a week off, UCF will head out west for a two-game Big 12 road trip at No. 23 Texas Tech (Saturday, 4 p.m.) and No. 21 BYU (Tuesday, 9 p.m.).

The Knights (13-8, 4-5 Big 12) capped off the first half of their league schedule at home last Saturday with a 74-63 win against No. 23 Oklahoma.

So far, UCF has obliterated expectations for their first year in the Big 12. For a team projected to finish last, the Knights instead could have postseason in their sights. An NIT bid appears attainable. NCAA Tournament is still a possibility, though UCF likely has to finish at least 5-4 in the second half of the conference season. Picking up one or more wins at Texas Tech (No. 36 NET) and BYU (No. 8 NET) would go a long way.

Texas Tech Notes:

The Red Raiders (16-6, 5-4) began Big 12 play winning five of their first six games, but have dropped three consecutive games to No. 23 TCU, Cincinnati and No. 13 Baylor. They are 11-1 at home though, the lone setback inside United Supermarkets Arena was to the Bearcats.

Coach Grant McCasland is in his first season in Lubbock after spending the last several years as the head coach at North Texas. In 2016, Terry Mohajir give him his first Division I head coaching job at Arkansas State.

Sophomore guard Pop Isaacs leads the Big 12 averaging 19.4 points in conference-only games.

In Big 12 games, Texas Tech is No. 4 offensively (75.0 ppg) while UCF is No. 14 (62.9 ppg). Defensively, Texas Tech is No. 11 (giving up 75.2 ppg) while UCF is No. 2 (giving up 66.1 ppg).

The Red Raiders have struggled on the boards. They're last in the Big 12 in combined team rebounds and rebounding margin.

This will be the first-ever meeting between UCF and Texas Tech.

BYU Notes:

Like UCF, BYU has also exceeded expectations this season. The Cougars are 16-6 overall and 4-5 in the Big 12, which includes a 63-58 victory at UCF on Jan. 13.

In Big 12 games, BYU is No. 5 offensively (73.8 ppg) and No. 10 defensively (74.3 ppg). They lead the Big 12 in three-pointers, averaging 10.7 made per game. On a national basis, BYU is No. 2 in three-pointers made per game.

Jaxson Robinson (13.5 ppg) leads the Cougars in scoring, though it's been a team effort as six BYU players average in double figures.

BYU plays in the Marriott Center, one of college basketball's larger campus venues. They're averaging more than 16,000 fans for Big 12 games.

==

On Thursday, we caught up with head coach Johnny Dawkins, Shemarri Allen and Ibrahima Diallo.

Johnny Dawkins

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This week has been spent on improving different facets of their game.

"It would be nice" to get a win streak going.

They need to continue to get better offensively and defensively, execution wise. Whether that's following the game plan or connecting with one another on the offensive end.

CJ Walker is "still working his way back" from injury.

Dawkins usually likes to keep on playing, doesn't necessarily like bye weeks, but it's important because they have been dealing with some injury issues.

Looking at road games, it's all about composure and confidence.

Texas Tech has a really good team with scoring ability. Tough and gritty. They do a good job on both ends.

Reflecting on the 300-wins congratulatory video, Dawkins said he was grateful to hear from so many of his former players.

It was mentioned in the Dungeon that the "court slapping" to get a stop on defense originated with Coach K at Duke, so I asked Dawkins about the origins of the practice. He wasn't totally sure, but thinks Duke was the first one to do it. He likes seeing this team take on the same practice, doing so unprompted.

Defense leads to offense, which really helped them in the Oklahoma game. They want to play fast, and you need to get stops in order to get out and run.

It was huge to have Shemarri Allen back for the Oklahoma game. He gives a tremendous effort and is a great leader. "He gives you so much. The box score doesn't always show it. He gave us a huge lift in that game."

Shemarri Allen

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Allen has had a great week of practice and is close to 100 percent. He did say he was fatigued somewhat in his return.

Not playing in the midweek, Allen watched Texas Tech play Baylor on Tuesday and they've spent more time watching film. Texas Tech has really good guards that can shoot and crash the boards.

They need to stay calm, cool and collected on the road in hostile environments.

Allen is interested in a future coaching career.

Looking ahead to a long road trip, Allen said in some ways it's "easier" because everything is focused on basketball with zero distractions.

On the road, the players like to play NBA 2K. A couple guys typically bring along their video game systems. Allen likes to play as the Lakers.

Ibrahima Diallo

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Diallo felt this break was much needed since a few players are dealing with bumps and bruises at this point of the season.

This week has been about fixing mistakes.

Diallo says Shemarri Allen makes a big impact defensively.

Texas Tech moves the ball well. He did watch them play Baylor.

On road trips, he talks to his family on FaceTime a lot.

It's difficult being a 7-footer to sleep on hotel beds.

His road trip roommate is freshman Mintautas Mockus. Diallo is serving as a mentor for him. He went through a lot of same things when he was a freshman, so he can share some wisdom.

His family home in Senegal is unable to watch the games live since ESPN+ is not available, but they can watch a recording later on Youtube.

Diallo grew up playing soccer. He was going to be the next Cristiano Ronaldo. Basketball is becoming a lot more popular in Senegal.

Diallo had a growth spurt at the age of 13 and that's when he was encouraged to start playing basketball. He was being told by friends that he was too tall to continue playing soccer.

He didn't really love basketball at first. His dad bought him some Jordan 1s, but he had to play basketball. He loved the shoes, so he did. He eventually grew to love the game.

Playing basketball has done "everything" for him. He got the opportunity to come to the United States, learned a new language, got a degree, met great people. He learns so much every day.

The basketball player he looks up to is Joel Embiid. He got to meet him in 2019.

Double header - Howard at 4:30

UCONN at 7:00PM on ESPN +


UCF SOFTBALL FEVER: CATCH IT

This was really good.

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Ladarius Tennison has joined the 2024 UCF Football team as a graduate transfer from Ole Miss. Tennison is a local product who brings experience and toughness to the Knights defensive backfield.

Get to know Ladarius by watching this video, provided by Andrew Cherico for the Sons of UCF.

Click here to watch.

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Ladarius Tennison has joined the 2024 UCF Football team as a graduate transfer from Ole Miss. Tennison is a local product who brings experience and toughness to the Knights defensive backfield.
Get to know Ladarius by watching this video, provided by Andrew Cherico for the Sons of UCF.

Click here to watch.

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I unfortunately couldn't make it down to Mobile for the Senior Bowl this year (first time missing in 4 years), but I wanted to start a thread similar to what I did for Alex Ward last year. A lot of scouts are naming Javon Baker a 'sleeper' before the week of practice begins and his official measurements just dropped. Will try to add news and nuggets from his week here when I see them.

He officially is 6’1", 208 - I think those are both great numbers for him.

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Do yourself a favor and visit this venue the next time your in town.

Or if your local, sometime soon.

Just saw Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis tonight.

In a 150 seat room.

Some of the best music I’ve heard in a while.
And the venue is acoustically and aesthetically amazing.

Keb Mo coming up next week too.

TMo and potentially others inside the program are discussing potentially switching from Nike to Adidas for apparel within the next couple of seasons. I believe our (new) Director of Equipment came from an Adidas program & Arkansas State is Adidas as well.

I'm HOPING this won't come to fruition but was told there have been initial discussions with Adidas. Maybe one of our BIG time donors can put a bug in TMos ear that Knight Nation likes Nike (or switch to Jordan Brand).

Utah 9.5
Kansas St 9.5
Arizona 8.5
Texas Tech 8.5
UCF 8.5
Kansas 8.5
Oklahoma St 7.5
TCU 7.5
Iowa St 7.5
WVU 6.5
Baylor 5.5
Cinci 5.5
Colorado 5.5
BYU 4.5
ASU 4.5
Houston 4.5

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UCF Over 8.5 (+118) / Under 8.5 (-144).

For you non-gamblers Vegas is basically projecting 8-9 wins with 8 being more likely than 9. They have KState and Utah at 9.5 and TTU, Kansas and Arizona also at 8.5 No clue what other teams non conference schedules look like though.

Plays for the Salt Lake City Stars (makes it very easy for Utah Jazz management to catch home games).

Pts: 15.9 per game (4th on the team)
FG: 46.1%
3 pt: 34.9% (respectable from longer distance...shot 39.4% last year from shorter distance)
Rebounds: 6.0 (2nd on the team)
Offensive Rebounds: 1.1
Blocks: 1.3 (2nd on the team)
FT: 72.2% (still needs some work as he shot 78.2% at UCF)

PS. Anyone ever go to the Magic's G League Team in Kissimmee at the Silver Spurs Arena?

Apparently around 10:40 last night there was an earthquake 100 miles offshore of Canaveral.. around a 4.0 on the Richter scale. Anyone on the space coast feel anything?