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UCF had interviews earlier today prior as they prepare for the upcoming AAC Tournament in Fort Worth. UCF is the No. 6 seed and will face No. 11 South Florida on Thursday at 7 p.m. If the Knights win, they'd advance to play No. 3 Memphis late Friday night.
Sorry for the shrill background noise - UCF's practice gym has a super-loud fan that apparently needs maintenance.
UCF practiced today and will head to Texas tomorrow - they have an early 7:30 a.m. flight to DFW.
Johnny Dawkins
"It's a new season," UCF head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "Everybody starts back at 0-0 right now. Everybody has a new life. A lifeline has been thrown. You can make whatever dreams you want to make happen. That's why it's March Madness."
UCF ended their regular season with two road losses at Tulane and Tulsa. They were seemingly in command on Sunday at Tulsa holding an 11-point lead with five minutes left, but the Golden Hurricane stormed back to win on a buzzer beater half-court shot. The fact UCF was 3-12 from the free-throw line in the second half loomed large.
"There's nothing we can do about the game," Dawkins said. "We played a good game. They played a good game. They hit a great shot at the end to win it. That's tough. But we have to move on. Our season ended with that. Now we move on to a brand new season. I'm having our guys looking forward and not backwards."
At the 30-second mark, you can see
Isaiah Adams in the background on crutches. He was wearing a big boot. Dawkins said they're waiting to hear back from doctors about "what's going on" and alluded to the fact he won't be available for the tournament.
"We miss him, but we have to move forward," Dawkins said. "We have enough depth and guys that should be ready to step up. He'll be missed, but it's an opportunity for some guys to step up and show what they're capable of doing."
Brandon Mahan was not practicing, but was out of the boot and no longer using crutches.
"He's progressing," Dawkins said. "He's still not where we'd like him to be, but he's getting better. It's a process. We'll see. It's day-to-day with him and we'll see where we are come Thursday."
The key to beating usf is to "defend and rebound." That's what they did not do well during the 75-51 loss in Tampa on Jan. 15. The Bulls had a 53-26 rebounding advantage.
"In the game they won against us down there, they were tremendous on the boards. They were relentless and played really hard like they always do. We have to make sure we do a better job of keeping them off the boards and giving them second and third shot opportunities. They have good players. We have to make sure we understand personnel well and guard accordingly."
UCF played much better in the return game in Orlando, winning 68-49.
It's very likely
Darius Johnson earns a place on the AAC Freshman team, which I believe will be announced tomorrow.
"He had a huge impact on our team," Dawkins said. "His addition of being a point guard and that's allowed
Darius Perry to plan on and off the ball. He's finding guys in transition, finding guys in the half court with his penetration. I thought he did a great job of driving the ball and making guys on the team better. I'm excited about him. I think he had a really good year. We'll see where he rates against the other freshmen, but I wouldn't trade him for anyone."
UCF also just awarded scholarships to a pair of senior walk-ons,
Levy Renaud and
Ryan Anders.
"They've been with us for four years," Dawkins said. "Everything they've done in every practice. You can't find two better men, team guys that were great for our culture. I'm glad we were able to reward them in that manner."
Darius Perry
Darius talked about preaching "1-0" when it comes to the AAC Tournament.
He obviously would like to end his college career by going to the NCAA Tournament.
They need to come out with energy and lock down defensively vs. usf. Perry believes UCF is "one of the better defensive teams in the country." If they play to their potential, they'll be fine.
Perry hopes Brandon Mahan can come back soon.
Asked about Darius Johnson, Perry said Tulsa was a great game for DJ - he had nine assists in that one even though he didn't score a lot.
Cheikh Mbacke Diong
Mbacke talked about the AAC Tournament being a "new season" and so they need to go "1-0."
Defense wins games, including finishing plays with a rebound. That's the key vs. usf.
"Everybody wants to finish their college career on a winning note. That's what we're trying to do. It's a tough challenge, but this is March. Anything can happen in March."
Reflecting on the ending of his college career, Mbacke said he learned a lot and will treasure the relationships. "I'm always grateful for the opportunity to play."
What will he remember the most about his year at UCF?
"The brotherhood. Coach Dawkins always talks about the brotherhood. We live by that and do our best. I enjoyed every moment of it. Always blessed to be playing this sport. Not everybody has that opportunity. I'm blessed to be out here with these guys and the fans too."
