UCF (17-16, 7-11 Big 12)
UCF’s debut season in the Big 12 was a pleasant surprise, with guard Darius Johnson and sharpshooting transfer Jaylin Sellers leading the offense and a smothering defense helping the Knights knock off Kansas on the way to seven league wins.
The Knights have added some high-level transfers to bolster depth and improve the overall talent. Former Memphis five-star prospect Mikey Williams and junior college transfer Dior Johnson are among the additions. The Knights also picked up a potential rim protector in 7-foot-2 freshman Moustapha Thiam.
Players to watch
Johnson (senior, PG, 6-1, 15.2 ppg) is the heartbeat of the team and its leader. On the court, his value is as a shooter, making 39.4 percent of his 3-point attempts last season.
Sellers (senior, SG, 6-4, 15.9 PPG) was the most impressive transfer into UCF last year, averaging a team-high 15.9 points per game. Coach Johnny Dawkins says Sellers played last season with a broken left (shooting) hand). The injury has healed, which should make him a more dangerous shooter this winter.
Keyshawn Hall (junior, SF, 6-7, 16.6 PPG). UCF relied heavily on its size to stifle opponents in the paint last season. This year’s team has a chance to be even better defensively because of players like Hall, a transfer from George Mason.
Departures and arrivals
Shot-blockers Ibrahima Diallo, Omar Payne and C.J. Walker all graduated after helping the Knights rank first in the Big 12 with five blocks per game. Thiam and 6-10 Syracuse transfer Benny Williams add size. Williams was a top prospect who sat out all of last season at Memphis after he pled guilty to a California gun charge.
Top games
The Knights open the season at home against No. 13 Texas A&M on Nov. 4. No. 1 Kansas visits Orlando on Jan. 5, and No. 4 Houston comes to town on Jan. 18. Sandwiched between those two dates are a pair of Big 12 road stops at No. 10 Arizona on Jan. 11 and Arizona State on Jan. 14. UCF visits Allen Fieldhouse for a rematch with Kansas on Jan. 28.
Facts and figures
Sellers’ status for the start of the season is in jeopardy after he left the court on a stretcher with a non-contact lower-body injury during UCF’s exhibition game against Florida Gulf Coast. UCF officials said he was taken to the hospital for imaging, but provided no further update on his injury. . . . The Knights finished third in the Big 12 last year in scoring defense and led the conference in blocks. Dawkins expects defense to be to the team’s calling card again. … The final notable addition to the roster was UTSA transfer Dior Johnson. He averaged 16.3 points per game and 3.0 assists per game last year for the Roadrunners. . . . The Knights reached the NIT last year and lost to South Florida in the first round.
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