UCF TAKES ON BAMA ... in Men’s Basketball

The UCF Knights are coming off of a 66-53 victory against Northern Kentucky in their last outing. UCF handed the Norse their only loss of the season as they improved to 5-1. Tacko Fall lead the Knights in scoring with 20 points in just 23 minutes on the court.

The Knights are on a four-game winning streak as they’ve seemed to figure it out on the court after the upset loss to FAU. Credit to the Owls as they are 6-1 on the season including a win over FGCU.

Next up for UCF is a home game against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Although this isn’t the football matchup everyone wants to see, UCF fans will love to say we beat Bama no matter what the sport. The Knights were able to come away with the win last season in Tuscaloosa and are a 6-point favorite to win again this year in Orlando, according to OddsShark.

What to Watch For

Crash the boards.

Alabama hasn’t been out-rebounded all season. The only time UCF has been out-rebounded was in their lone loss to FAU. The Knights are averaging about 5 more rebounds per game than the Crimson Tide which is an are where they rank 25th in the nation. My bet is whoever wins the rebound battle will also win the ball game.

Win the game at the line.

The Knights are 350th out of 353 teams when it comes to free throw percentage. This was a huge area the team struggled with last season and it still seems to be an issue. They won’t be able to maintain their success when they only make 55.8% of their free throws. When facing a good team like Alabama, these shots are what makes or breaks the game.

Will Knight Nation show out?

Basketball attendance over the last 5 years or so has really struggled excluding the sell out crowd against Illinois in the NIT. CFE Arena holds 10,000 but the Knights are averaging just 4,183 through their first 3 home games. This Alabama game is a marquee matchup and I know the student section is going to be rockin’. Will the rest of Knight Nation be there to show Alabama how it’s done in Orlando?