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.
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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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