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UCF Basketball: 3 keys for Knights to pull off upset over Houston Cougars

By Thomas J. Brown

WICHITA, KS - JANUARY 25: Head coach Johnny Dawkins of the UCF Knights calls out instructions during the first half against the Wichita State Shockers at Charles Koch Arena on January 25, 2020 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images)
WICHITA, KS - JANUARY 25: Head coach Johnny Dawkins of the UCF Knights calls out instructions during the first half against the Wichita State Shockers at Charles Koch Arena on January 25, 2020 in Wichita, Kansas. (Photo by Peter G. Aiken/Getty Images) /
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Calvary Christian’s Taylor Hendricks Ndn 20211222 48th Annual City Of Palms Classic Between Calvary Christian And North Little Rock1495
Calvary Christian’s Taylor Hendricks Ndn 20211222 48th Annual City Of Palms Classic Between Calvary Christian And North Little Rock1495 /

Unleash Taylor Hendricks!

Whenever a major upset happens in team sports, there’s usually one player on the winning team who has an exceptional game. Everyone remembers where they were the day Johnny Manziel played the best game of his life and led Texas A&M to a shocking win on the road against the Alabama Crimson Tide. While Manziel’s epic performance will live on in history, the UCF Knights won’t require a record-breaking performance from their star freshman to beat the Houston Cougars. However, he will have to show the college basketball world why he is touted as one of the nation’s most underrated players.

At 6’9″, Hendricks is leading UCF in scoring with an average of 14.3 points per game. He is also the team’s leading rebounder, pulling down 7.0 boards per contest. In addition to that, Hendricks is a solid ballhandler for a player his size and is knocking down the 3-point shot at a rate of 38.7 percent. He is a true inside-outside threat and he is capable of erupting for big numbers. The Houston Cougars have a guard-oriented attack; if UCF counters by playing through Hendricks as a frontline scorer, he could single-handedly disrupt the opposing team’s flow and cause them to focus their energy elsewhere.

The Houston Cougars have their eyes set on earning a number-one seed in the NCAA Tournament. The UCF Knights are holding onto an outside chance at being chosen by the Selection Committee. Although the circumstances are different for each team, Wednesday’s game is important to both ball clubs. If UCF dictates the pace, slows down the tempo, and wins the rebounding battle, they will give themselves a fighting chance. If their freshman phenom has a signature game, the odds of them pulling off the upset is even greater.

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Most pundits don’t expect Houston to lose a second consecutive game, but the Knights’ fans will be rowdy in anticipation of a major upset on their home court. That’s the excitement of college basketball; once the game is underway, anything can happen.