2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record11-12 (8–10 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAddition Financial Arena
Seasons
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
Wichita State 11 – 2   .846 16 – 6   .727
No. 6 Houston † 14 – 3   .824 28 – 4   .875
Memphis 11 – 4   .733 20 – 8   .714
SMU 7 – 4   .636 11 – 6   .647
Cincinnati 8 – 6   .571 12 – 11   .522
UCF 8 – 10   .444 11 – 12   .478
Tulsa 7 – 9   .438 11 – 12   .478
South Florida 4 – 10   .286 9 – 13   .409
Temple 4 – 10   .286 5 – 11   .313
Tulane 4 – 12   .250 10 – 13   .435
East Carolina 2 – 10   .167 8 – 11   .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team represented the University of Central Florida during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights were members of the American Athletic Conference. The Knights, in the program's 52nd season of basketball, are led by fifth-year head coach Johnny Dawkins and played their home games at the Addition Financial Arena on the university's main campus in Orlando, Florida. They finished the season 11-12, 8-10 in AAC Play to finish in 6th place. They defeated East Carolina in the first round of the AAC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Memphis.

Previous season

The Knights finished the 2019–20 season 16–14 overall and 7–11 in AAC play to finish in eighth place. They entered as the No. 8 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Yuat Alok 0 F 6'11" 225 Junior Auckland, New Zealand Transferred to Southern Utah (mid-season)[1]
Matt Milon 2 G 6'5" 210 Graduate Student Oviedo, FL Completed college eligibility[a]
Ceasar DeJesus 4 G 6'2" 190 RS Junior Jersey City, NJ Play professionally[2]
Dazon Ingram 12 G 6'6" 205 Graduate Student Theodore, AL Completed college eligibility[a]
Frank Bertz 20 G 6'5" 180 Senior Hesperia, CA Graduated
Collin Smith 35 F 6'11" 240 Redshirt Junior Jacksonville, FL Left the team due to health issues
  1. ^ a b Milon and Ingram were both graduate transfers in the 2019–20 season, with Milon having graduated from William & Mary and Ingram from Alabama.

Incoming transfers

Name Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Darius Perry G 6'2" 185 Senior Marietta, GA Transferred from Louisville after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[3]
C. J. Walker F 6'8" 205 Sophomore Sanford, FA Transferred from Oregon. Walker was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[4] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[5]

2020 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Jamille Reynolds
PF 		Saint Petersburg, FL Lakewood Senior High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Aug 18, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Isaiah Adams
SF 		Jacksonville, FL Paxon School for Advanced Studies 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sep 2, 2019 
Star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards[6]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1 Houston 99 (2)
2 Memphis 90 (2)
3 SMU 80
4 Cincinnati 77
5 South Florida 61
6 Tulsa 50
7 Wichita State 44
8 UCF 37
9 East Carolina 34
10 Temple 18
11 Tulane 15

Roster

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Josh Kaplan (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr John F. Kennedy High School Merrick, New York
G 1 Tony Johnson Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So The Skill Factory Eufaula, Alabama
G 2 Darius Perry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Louisville Marietta, Georgia
F 3 Isaiah Adams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Paxon School for Advanced Studies Jacksonville, Florida
F 4 Jamille Reynolds 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Fr Lakewood Senior High School St. Petersburg, Florida
C 5 Avery Diggs 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr SW Mississippi CC Brandon, Florida
G 10 Levy Renaud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr NSU University School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
G 11 Xavier Grant (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr American Heritage School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
G 13 Brandon Mahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Texas A&M Birmingham, Alabama
G 15 Isaac Ward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Tampa Preparatory School Tampa, Florida
F 20 Sean Mobley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr VCU Orlando, Florida
F 21 C. J. Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Oregon Sanford, Florida
G 22 Darin Green Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Wharton High School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 24 Dre Fuller Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Admiral Farragut Academy Fayetteville, North Carolina
F 25 Ryan Anders (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Wharton High School Tampa, Florida
C 33 Moses Bol 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Colby CC Wau, South Sudan
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: July 27, 2020

Schedule and results

UCF will start a series with Michigan beginning this season in Ann Arbor, Michigan.[7]

COVID-19 impact

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

  • The game vs. Oklahoma scheduled for November 28 was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.[8]
  • The game @ Tulsa rescheduled for March 2 was moved to Orlando.[9]
  • The game vs. Tulsa originally scheduled for February 6 was moved to Tulsa.[10]

Schedule

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Regular season
November 30, 2020*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Auburn W 63–55  1–0
  13 – Fuller Jr.   8 – Walker   5 – Fuller Jr.  Addition Financial Arena (1,944)
Orlando, FL
December 6, 2020*
4:00 p.m., BTN 		at Michigan L 58–80  1–1
  21 – Mahan   5 – Mahan   3 – Fuller Jr.  Crisler Center 
Ann Arbor, MI
December 19, 2020*
9:00 p.m., ACCN 		at No. 15 Florida State W 86–74  2–1
  32 – Mahan   8 – Adams   4 – Fuller Jr.  Donald L. Tucker Center (2,576)
Tallahassee, FL
December 22, 2020
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Cincinnati W 75–70  3–1
(1–0) 		 25 – Mahan   10 – Mahan   3 – Fuller Jr.  Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
December 26, 2020
1:00 p.m., ABC 		No. 6 Houston
Previously scheduled for Dec. 15 		L 54–63  3–2
(1–1) 		 13 – Tied   10 – Fuller Jr.   2 – Tied  Addition Financial Arena (1,476)
Orlando, FL
January 2, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at South Florida
War on I-4 		L 61–68  3–3
(1–2) 		 23 – Perry   8 – Fuller Jr.   6 – Perry  Yuengling Center (1,016)
Tampa, FL
January 14, 2021
12:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Temple L 55–62  3–4
(1–3) 		 17 – Green Jr.   10 – Fuller Jr.   7 – Mahan  Liacouras Center 
Philadelphia, PA
January 17, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at No. 11 Houston L 58–75  3–5
(1–4) 		 14 – Reynolds   10 – Adams   2 – Tied  Fertitta Center (1,859)
Houston, TX
January 23, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		SMU L 65–78  3–6
(1–5) 		 14 – Perry   5 – Tied   7 – Perry  Addition Financial Arena (1,394)
Orlando, FL
January 27, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		East Carolina W 71–64  4–6
(2–5) 		 18 – Green Jr.   6 – Tied   3 – Tied  Addition Financial Arena (1,407)
Orlando, FL
January 30, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Wichita State L 88–93 OT 4–7
(2–6) 		 17 – Tied   8 – Reynolds   4 – Adams  Charles Koch Arena (2,100)
Wichita, KS
February 1, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis
Previously scheduled for Jan. 5 		L 69–96  4–8
(2–7) 		 15 – Mahan   6 – Mahan   4 – Perry  FedEx Forum (2,106)
Memphis, TN
February 3, 2021
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Memphis L 61–75  4–9
(2–8) 		 18 – Perry   7 – Tied   5 – Mahan  FedEx Forum (2,284)
Memphis, TN
February 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Tulsa W 65–58  5–9
(3–8) 		 18 – Perry   4 – Fuller Jr.   3 – Mobley  Reynolds Center 
Tulsa, OK
February 10, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Wichita State L 60–61  5–10
(3–9) 		 27 – Perry   6 – Fuller Jr.   2 – Tied  Addition Financial Arena (1,385)
Orlando, FL
February 12, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPN+ 		Tulane
Previously scheduled for Dec. 30 		L 49–53  6–10
(4–9) 		 18 – Green Jr.   8 – Adams   5 – Perry  Addition Financial Arena (1,420)
Orlando, FL
February 14, 2021
1:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Cincinnati L 68–69  6–11
(4–10) 		 21 – Mahan   10 – Walker   4 – Perry  Fifth Third Arena (300)
Cincinnati, OH
February 17, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		South Florida
War on I-4 		W 81–65  7–11
(5–10) 		 18 – Walker   9 – Walker   4 – Perry  Addition Financial Arena (1,764)
Orlando, FL
February 20, 2021
2:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Tulane W 84–81  8–11
(6–10) 		 26 – Adams   6 – Walker   7 – Perry  Devlin Fieldhouse 
New Orleans, LA
February 23, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at SMU Postponed due to COVID-19 issues[11] Moody Coliseum 
University Park, TX
February 27, 2021
4:00 p.m., ESPNU 		Temple Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues[12] Addition Financial Arena 
Orlando, FL
March 2, 2021
7:00 pm, ESPNU 		Tulsa
Previously scheduled for Jan. 9 		W 73–69  9–11
(7–10) 		 19 – Adams   5 – Tied   3 – Tied  Addition Financial Arena (1,309)
Orlando, FL
March 4, 2021
9:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at East Carolina W 64–60  10–11
(8–10) 		 15 – Adams   11 – Perry   5 – Perry  Williams Arena (424)
Greenville, NC
American Athletic Conference tournament
March 11, 2021
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		(6) vs. (11) East Carolina
First Round 		W 72–62  11–11
  15 – Perry   7 – Fuller Jr.   4 – Fuller Jr.  Dickies Arena 
Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2021
10:00 p.m., ESPNU 		(6) vs. (3) Memphis
Quarterfinals 		L 62–70  11–12
  15 – Perry   11 – Fuller Jr.   5 – Perry  Dickies Arena (826)
Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Third Team

  • Brandon Mahan
  • Darius Perry

All-AAC Freshman Team

  • Isaiah Adams

Source[13]

References

  1. ^ Lester, Bryson. "Thunderbirds Add Top-Tier Transfer Yuat Alok". suutbirds.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
  2. ^ Murphy, Brian (March 18, 2020). "Ceasar DeJesus Leaving UCF, Planning to Go Pro". blackandgoldbanneret.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
  3. ^ Evans, Corey [@coreyevans_10] (April 20, 2020). "Louisville grad-transfer Darius Perry just committed to UCF, his father tells RivalsPortal" (Tweet). Retrieved April 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  4. ^ @JonRothstein (November 23, 2020). "Source: UCF's CJ Walker has received a waiver from the NCAA and is eligible for the 20-21 season. Transfer from Oregon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Gershon, Josh (July 6, 2020). "Former five-star Oregon transfer CJ Walker commits to UCF". 247Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  6. ^ "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  7. ^ "UCF Announces Home-And-Home With Michigan". ucfknights.com. UCF Athletics. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  8. ^ "UCF versus Memphis basketball game postponed due to COVID-19". orlandosentinel.com. January 5, 2021.
  9. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
  10. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
  11. ^ "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 18, 2021.
  12. ^ "Saturday's Temple-UCF Men's Basketball Game Cancelled". theamerican.org. February 27, 2021.
  13. ^ "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.