Wednesday marks the final "War on I-4" conference game when South Florida pays one more visit to UCF's Addition Financial Arena.
With UCF off to the Big 12 next season and South Florida staying behind in the American, annual games are no longer a sure thing. Nothing is on the books for a non-conference matchup next season, though Johnny Dawkins says he's open to future games.
"I think it's been a great game for both programs," Dawkins said. "I think we've had a tradition of playing now. I would not rule it out. I don't know what's going to happen. I have to look at what's happening in our future and their future, then we'll figure it out. I do think it's been a great rivalry."
UCF has tried to maintain regular games with in-state schools. The Knights hosted Florida State and Miami earlier this season.
"We'll always try to play teams in our state," Dawkins said. "We'll always continue to do that. Time will tell what opponents those are, but I think there's great rivalries and it's great for the fanbases here."
UCF enters with a 15-11 overall record and 6-8 in the AAC. The Knights are coming off two crushing losses to Memphis and Cincinnati, both decided in the final seconds of the game.
"We're practicing with a lot of energy and enthusiasm still," Dawkins said. "We've had some tough games recently, but we're battling through it. Our guys are working hard. We're excited about this opportunity we have tomorrow."
Dawkins said they need to execute the "little things" in order to get over the hump.
"A play here or a play there," Dawkins said. "We have to minimize those situations like (giving up) an offensive rebound or a turnover. When you make the least amount of mistakes, typically you have the best chance of winning. If we can minimize one or two more of those, that gives us one or two more possessions and in a one-possession game that becomes huge."
South Florida won the first meeting on Jan. 21 in Tampa, 85-72. Tyler Harris, a transfer from Memphis, went off for 33 points which remains a season high for him. He's averaging 16.8 points.
"He's a terrific player," Dawkins said. "He's hard to guard. He's crafty. He's an older player in our conference. We need to be disciplined defensively and try to contain him. You're not stopping a young man of his caliber. What you want to do is try to contain and make it as difficult as you can for 40 minutes. That's the mindset we have to have going into the game."
UCF was out-rebounded 40-31 with the Bulls grabbing 15 offensive boards that led to 22 second-chance points. They also had 17 fast-break points.
"I thought they were able to do a little more on the boards, around the basket and in the paint," Dawkins said. "We have to do a better job of eliminating opportunities in the paint and in transition. I thought they got out and ran against us and got some easy baskets in transition. All those things count. We have to do a better job of being more attentive to details."
Senior C.J. Kelly, tied for second on the team averaging 12.0 points per game, remembers one thing about that first South Florida matchup.
"We lost. That's what I remember," Kelly said. "They got a little chippy towards the end."
Kelly, a newcomer this season, says the need to get a win overshadows the rivalry.
"As much as I love rivalries, I just want to win," Kelly said. "Having that extra give towards this game doesn't hurt, especially at home for us and our fans. Looking forward to a little get back."
TAYLOR HENDRICKS' NBA DRAFT BUZZ HEATING UP
UCF freshman phenom Taylor Hendricks, who has already broken the AAC record with seven Freshman of the Week honors, continues to rise up NBA Draft boards. Depending on where you look, some experts believe Hendricks could be a lottery pick.
Hendricks leads UCF with 14.8 points per game, 6.7 rebounds and 44 blocks. He's also shooting over 40 percent from three-point range (48 of 118).
"He's still a work in progress," Dawkins said. "He's still a developing young player. He has tremendous potential. He's working towards that. I think he's getting better. Going through the conference in the second half has been better than the first half. You can see him continue to grow and learn from what he did in the first half. I love his attitude. He's very coachable. He works hard. His best basketball is still ahead of him. As he continues to grow and work and round out his skills, he's going to be an even better player."
Where does Hendricks believe he's improved?
"I think I've improved in my maturity," Hendricks said. "Definitely my on-court skills playing alongside and against bigger and older guys that have the IQ and stuff like that. I think I've improved my game overall."
His NBA potential is not something Dawkins talks to him about.
"Right now we're concentrating on us," Dawkins said. "He understands. It's all about staying in the moment. Those things all happen on that timeline. That's not now. Right now is what can you do to help your team win. What can you do to help your team get better. It's all about the team right now. At the end of the season, (we can talk about) what happens afterwards. Right now, he should be focused on one thing. We all should be focused on one thing and that's USF."
Added Hendricks:
"I'm trying to focus on the moment right now. It's almost the end of the season. It feels like it went by so quick. I'm trying to enjoy every moment I have left."
KNIGHTS FOCUSED ON STRONG FINISH
UCF needs to put together a winning streak to keep hopes alive for a top-five finish and first-round bye in the conference tournament.
The most realistic path calls for no margin for error. The Knights, 6-8 in the AAC, likely need to win out in their last four games vs. South Florida (home), Tulsa (road), Temple (road) and ECU (home) to finish with a 10-8 record. They would also need Temple (currently 9-6) to drop their final three games to Cincinnati (road), UCF (home) and Tulane (road).
"It's very important to get on a roll before (the tournament) starts for seeding purposes," C.J. Kelly said. "Our record doesn't indicate how good we are. The league knows that... It's important to come together and get on a run. Cut out the minor mistakes. We've been in every game besides maybe two. We were right there. We've just got to get on a run."
Taylor Hendricks agrees.
"I feel like it's far from over," Hendricks said. "Maybe our fans may think we kind of blew the season away, but there's a lot of basketball left to be played. There's a whole conference tournament left and I feel we can make a big run in that."
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