After seeing a three-game win streak come to an end, UCF aims to get back on track and bolster its postseason resume by hitting the road to take on fading Cincinnati on Sunday in Big 12 Conference play.
The Knights (17-5, 6-4 Big 12) were shut down Wednesday night and unable to get their offense going in a road loss at No. 8 Houston.
Cincinnati (11-12, 3-7) dropped a 59-54 decision at home to West Virginia on Thursday in a game it led by 14 points with 16 minutes remaining.
Sunday’s game is a rematch of a Jan. 11 meeting in Orlando won by UCF 73-72.
UCF will have to solve its offensive deficiencies that were heightened against defensive-minded Houston. The Knights did not have a player score in double figures, shot 30.8% from the field, committed 11 turnovers and were outrebounded 40-29.
A lone bright spot came at the free throw line as UCF made 17 of 20 attempts.
“They’re a terrific team,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said of Houston. “They play at such a high level that you have to be prepared to match their intensity, match their physicality, and we were not able to do that.”
Riley Kugel led UCF with nine points and tops the team in scoring at 14.5 points per game. Themus Fulks — second on the team at 13.9 points — led a group of four players with eight points apiece.
UCF’s NCAA tournament resume remains strong at No. 42 in the NCAA NET ratings.
Cincinnati has a losing record for the first time since March 4, 2021, and for the first time in coach Wes Miller’s five seasons as coach.
The Bearcats have lost their last two games and four of five. Big man Moustapha Thiam missed Thursday’s game with an ankle injury, while Shon Abaev has missed the last three games, also with an ankle ailment.
Miller refused to use injuries or the schedule as an excuse following Thursday’s collapse against West Virginia, instead addressing the Cincinnati fan base for the home loss.
“I want to apologize to our fans and all the people who support Cincinnati basketball. It’s not OK,” Miller said. “I don’t want for one second for people to think that I think it’s OK. It’s not OK. In this program, there’s a higher standard. There’s no excuse. None of the circumstances matter. We have to close games out.”
