GAME 32 • NCAA FIRST ROUND Director, Strategic Communications: Daniel Forcella | Cell: (207) 650-6790 | Email: [email protected] Assistant Director, Strategic Communications: Kelly Cartner | Cell: (248) 978-5201 | Email: [email protected] GAME INFORMATION 9 (rv/rv) UCF KNIGHTS (23-8, 13-5 AAC) Head Coach: Johnny Dawkins (Duke, 1986) Date ..................................................... Friday, March 22 Record at UCF: 66-33 (3rd Season) Time ............................................................ 9:40 p.m. ET Site ......................................................... Columbia, S.C. Overall Record: 222-148 (11th Season) Stadium ............................................. Colonial Life Arena VS Capacity ................................................................ 18,000 (rv/rv) TV .......................................................................... CBS 8 VCU RAMS (25-7, 16-2 A-10) Play-by-Play .............................................Jim Nantz Head Coach: Mike Rhoades (Lebanon Valley, 1995) Analyst ...................................................Bill Raftery Record at VCU: 43-22 (2nd Season) Analyst ..................................................... Grant Hill Overall Record: 287-150 (15th Season) Sideline .............................................Tracy Wolfson Local Radio ............................FM96.9/AM740 The Game UCFACTS Play-by-Play ....................................... Marc Daniels Analyst ................................................Taylor Young SETTING THE SCENE National Radio ........................................ Westwood One • The UCF men’s basketball team is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005, Play-by-Play .................................. Brandon Gaudin earning the program’s first at-large berth. Analyst ...........................................Austin Croshere • It marks the team’s fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament, earning an automatic berth by Twitter ................................ @UCF_MBB / @UCFKnights way of winning the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament in 1994, 1996, 2004 and 2005. Hashtag.......................................... #GKMO / #ChargeOn • The Knights have already enjoyed a historic season, going 23-8 and setting a program Division I record for regular season wins. SCHEDULE/RESULTS O29 Flagler& W, 86-69 GO KNIGHTS MARCH ON • Seeded ninth, this marks the highest seed for UCF in its history playing in the NCAA Tournament N6 Rider ESPN3 W, 84-70 • The first two times the Knights reached the NCAA Tournament they were a 16 seed out of the N11 FAU ESPN3 L, 80-79 A-Sun, earning a 14 seed in 2004 and a 15 seed in 2005. N15 vs. Cal State Fullerton# ESPN3 W, 68-52 • UCF is 0-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, looking for the program’s first win in the tourney N16 vs. Saint Joseph’s# ESPN2 W, 77-57 in program history on Friday. N18 vs. Western Kentucky# ESPN2 W, 78-62 N24 Northern Kentucky ESPN3 W, 66-53 DAWKINS IN THE DANCE N29 Alabama ESPNU W, 70-64 • Johnny Dawkins is no stranger to the NCAA Tournament, although this is just his second appearance in the dance as a head coach. D2 at Missouri ESPNU L, 64-62 (ot) • He took Stanford to the Sweet 16 in 2013-14, leading the 10th seeded Cardinal to wins over D8 Grambling ESPN3 W, 70-45 seventh seeded New Mexico and second seeded Kansas. D11 Georgia Southern ESPN3 W, 95-88 • As a player at Duke, Dawkins took the Blue Devils to three NCAA Tournaments, advancing all D16 Stetson ESPN3 W, 90-65 the way to the championship game in 1986. D21 Illinois State ESPN3 W, 77-56 • An assistant on Coach K’s staff at Duke from 1998-2008, Dawkins was on the bench for 10 J2 Temple* ESPNews W, 78-73 tournament appearances, three Final Fours and a championship in 2001. J5 at UConn* ESPNews W, 65-53 J13 ECU* ESPNU W, 76-65 MAKING HISTORY IN YEAR THREE • Dawkins arrived at UCF prior to the start of the 2016-17 season and made an immediate J16 at Wichita State* CBSSN L, 75-67 impact, taking a team that had three straight losing seasons and winning 24 games in year one. J19 Tulsa* ESPNU W, 64-62 • His first Knights squad won three games in the NIT, advancing all the way to the semifinals at J23 at Tulane* ESPN3 W, 75-50 Madison Square Garden. J27 at Memphis* CBSSN L, 77-57 • After dealing with an injury-hampered second season, Dawkins has UCF in the midst of its best J31 UConn* ESPNU W, 73-67 season ever in 2018-19. F7 #12/12 Houston* CBSSN L, 77-68 • The Knights have set a program Division I record for regular season wins, defeated multiple Top F10 at SMU* ESPNews W, 71-65 25 teams for the first time in a single season, and were ranked in the Top 25 the furtherst into a season that UCF ever had. F13 S. Florida* ESPNews W, 78-65 • Dawkins and UCF look to make more history on Friday with the team’s first win in the NCAA F16 Memphis* ESPN2 W, 79-72 Tournament. F21 at #23/25 Cincinnati* ESPN2 L, 60-55 F24 SMU* CBSSN W, 95-48 F27 at S. Florida* ESPN3 W, 75-63 A UCF WIN WOULD RECORD BREAKDOWN M2 at #6/8 Houston* ESPN W, 69-64 • Be better than a loss Overall .................................................23-8 M7 #19/20 Cincinnati* ESPN2 W, 58-55 • Make the Knights one game off of the program’s The American ......................................13-5 M9 at Temple* ESPN2 L, 67-62 D1 record for total wins in a season M15 at Memphis% ESPN2 L, 79-55 • Be UCF’s first NCAA Tournament victory Non-Conference ..................................10-2 M22 vs. VCU$ CBS 9:40 pm • Earn the Knights their ninth overall win away Home ...................................................15-2 * American Athletic Conference contest from home & Exhibition contest • Advance UCF to the Second Round to play either Away ...................................................... 5-6 # Myrtle Beach Invitational Duke or the play-in game winner Neutral................................................... 3-0 % American Athletic Conference Tournament • Keep the Knights undefeated in neutral games $ NCAA Tournament All times Eastern Twitter: @UCF_MBB | Instagram: UCF.MBB | Facebook: /UCFMensBasketball 1 2018-19 UCF GAME NOTES GAME 32 • NCAA FIRST ROUND BY THE NUMBERS KNIGHT NOTES KNIGHTS RAMS REGULAR SEASON RECORD • UCF concluded the regular season at 23-7, setting a new program Division I record for most 72.1 8 POINTS 71.4 regular season wins. 64.3 DEFENSE 8 61.6 • The most total wins in a season in UCF’s D1 history is 25 in 2003-04 and in the entire history of the program it is 26 in 1977-78. +7.8 MARGIN 8 +9.8 • Dawkins’ 2016-17 squad won 24 games, which included one win in the American Athletic 46.3 8 FG% 44.2 Conference Tournament and three victories in the NIT. • The Knights’ 13 wins in league play mark the most for UCF since joining The American and the DEFENSE 8 39.5 FG% 38.4 most in any conference since going 13-7 in Atlantic Sun action back in 2004-05. 6.8 THREES 8 7.2 35.4 8 30.7 BEATING RANKED OPPONENTS 3FG% • Prior to Johnny Dawkins’ arrival at UCF, the program had won three games against ranked 31.3 3FG% DEFENSE 8 27.6 opponents from 1984-2016. Since Dawkins has taken over, the Knights have won four games 64.5 FT% 8 69.8 against ranked opponents in just three seasons. • UCF had never won two games against ranked opponents in a single season, and the Knights +2.2 8 REB MARGIN +1.3 just did it in a span of five days, taking down No. 6/8 Houston and No. 19/20 Cincinnati. 13.3 ASSISTS 8 13.9 • The Knights are now 7-45 all-time against ranked opponents, with the other two wins under Dawkins coming at home to No. 15 Cincinnati in 2016-17 and on the road at No. 24 Alabama 8 11.8 TOS 13.9 in 2017-18. 1.1 8 AST-TO 1.0 CRACKING THE TOP 25 8 5.7 STEALS 8.0 • For the first time since 2011, UCF cracked the Associated Press Top 25 Poll heading into the 4.5 BLOCKS 4.5 final week of the regular season. • It’s the only ranking for the Knights outside of the 2010-11 season, when they won their first SERIES INFORMATION 14 games of the campaign. • It marks the furthest into a season that UCF has been ranked in a national poll. Overall: ............................................................... First Meeting • After a pair of losses, the Knights are now receiving votes in both the AP Poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll. UCF RANKING SUMMARY OFFENSIVE EFFICIENCY CATEGORY VALUE NCAA AAC • Known for their defense the last few years under Johnny Dawkins, the Knights have been extremely efficient offensively in 2018-19. Scoring Offense 72.1 183 6 • UCF is only sixth in The American with 72.1 points per game, but the Knights lead the league in Scoring Defense 64.3 28 3 field goal percentage, shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, up from 42.4 percent a year ago. Offensive FG% .463 66 1 • The Knights have shot over 50 percent 10 times and under 40 percent just four times. • In the win over Temple on Jan. 2, the Knights shot a season-high 60.4 percent from the field. Defensive FG% .395 13 2 • Last season, UCF held a 0.8 assist-to-turnover ratio, but in 2018-19, the Knights have a 1.1 Free Throw % .645 333 11 assist-to-turnover ratio. Offensive 3PT% .354 121 2 DOMINATING DEFENSE Defensive 3PT% .313 37 2 • It’s the defense that has dominated under Dawkins though, holding opponents to a combined 38.10 percent from the floor in 2016-17 and 2017-18, which led the nation during that time. Rebounds/Game 36.7 102 5 • Only two teams in the nation were ranked in the top six in scoring defense in both 2016-17 Assists/Game 13.3 190 10 and 2017-18, UCF and Virginia. • The Knights led the nation in defensive field goal percentage in 2016-17, holding opponents to Turnovers/Game 11.9 80 5 36.5 percent, and in 2017-18 they ranked third in the nation in scoring defense at 61.7.