11. UCF (8-2)
When thinking about UCF, the basketball program isn’t exactly what comes to mind. The program has had a few decent moments in their history, and few have forgotten how they almost upset Duke and Zion Williamson, but that was more than five years ago and time marches on. Johnny Dawkins’ squad joined the Big 12 last year and had some decent performances but are hoping for much more this year.
The big issue in the first month of the season has been that leading scorer Jaylin Sellers hasn’t yet seen the court and we’re not certain when the Knights will have him. In his stead, UCF is leaning heavily on senior guards Jordan Ivy-Curry and Darius Johnson, who are both averaging at least 15 points per game while the notably freshman is 7-footer Moustapha Thiam, putting up decent production early into his career.
The most notable game for the Knights was actually on opening night as they triumphed over Texas A&M in a game where the Aggies were also missing a star player. Both of their losses came at the Greenbrier Tip-Off, with a rough showing against Wisconsin and a triple-overtime defeat against LSU. UCF’s other wins are all at home aside from last weekend’s victory over Tulsa.
They’re handling their own without last year’s leading scorer, but it’s hard to look at this team and be excited about them competing in the Big 12. This team is decent at rebounding and shot blocking but they’re not exactly an offensive juggernaut and the defense has had some questionable moments. Things could be different if Sellers comes back, though a middle-of-the-pack finish might be the ceiling in this strong league.