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UCF Basketball Takes to the Road for a Big Challenge at No. 21 Auburn Wednesday

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Basketball

The 4-1 UCF men's basketball team will try to have a short memory as the Knights aim to bounce back from a close weekend loss to Oklahoma with another big game against No. 21/20 Auburn (5-1) on the road. UCF will travel to Auburn for an 8 p.m. clash with the Tigers.

The game will be streamed live on SEC Network+ and Marc Daniels will be on the call on FM 96.9 The Game.

The Knights are familiar with the Tigers as UCF took down Auburn, 63-55, in its 2020-21 season opener in Orlando. Dre Fuller Jr., Brandon Mahan and Darin Green Jr. all finished in double figures scoring in the victory as UCF got it done on defense, holding the Tigers to 32.3 percent shooting from the field and 20.6 percent from 3-point range. The Knights had 12 steals and outscored Auburn 17-14 on the break.

The Knights will look to repeat that success on Wednesday as they go for their third straight win in the series but their first in Auburn.

Auburn is led by veteran head coach Bruce Pearl, who is in his 27th season as a Division I head men's basketball coach and his eighth season overall with the Tigers. He led Auburn to its third SEC regular season championship in the 2017–18 season and its second SEC Tournament championship in 2019, en route to leading Auburn to its first ever Final Four appearance in the 2019 NCAA Tournament. The Tigers are 143–93 (.606) all-time under Pearl.

SOLID START

  • The UCF men's basketball team opened the season with a 69-59 win over Robert Morris on Nov. 10 in front of 4,869 fans at Addition Financial Arena.
  • UCF has since followed up its stellar opening Knight victory with wins over Miami and Evansville on the road and a victory over Jacksonville in front of its home crowd in Orlando.
  • As a team, the Knights lead The American with a 81.9 percent free throw percentage and are third in the conference with a 46.1 percent field goal percentage.
  • The Knights are also top three in The American with 14.6 assists per game
  • The Knights have won 9 of their last 11 dating back to Feb. 17, 2021.
  • Following a strong undefeated start to the season, the Knights were receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll on Nov. 22.
  • The Knights' appearance in the poll marked their first since Dec. 28, 2020 and their 20th under head coach Johnny Dawkins (2016-present).
  • Before falling to Oklahoma on Nov. 27, UCF's 4-0 start marked their seventh best in prorgam history [2010-11 (14-0), 2006-07 (6-0), 1993-94 (5-0), 1981-82 (5-0), 1979-80 (15-0) and 1969-70 (8-0)].

BACK AT THE OL' STOMPING GROUNDS

  • First-year Knights' assistant coach Mamadou N'Diaye makes his return to his Alma Mater as he was a four-year standout at the University of Auburn from 1997-2000.
  • N'Diaye was a part of two Auburn teams that played and beat UCF (Nov. 14, 1997 - L, 70-63 and Nov. 19, 1998 - L, 77-42).
  • N'Diaye was named to the SEC All-Freshman team in 1997 and All-SEC third team in 1999.
  • N'Diaye posted program single-season top 10 blocking records in three out of his four seasons with the Tigers as he posted 77 blocks in 1998-99 (fourth all-time), 73 in 1997-98 (fifth) and 66 in 1999-2000 (eighth).
  • He also ranks seventh all-time in program history with 128 games played, eighth with 798 rebounds and second with 241 blocks behind only Kyle Davis (360 blocks from 2000-04).
  • Following his time with the Tigers, N'Diaye went on to be drafted 26th overall by the Denver Nuggets in 2000.
  • N'Diaye played five seasons in the NBA with the Raptors (2000-03), Mavericks (2003-04), Hawks (20003-04) and Clippers (2005).

FIRE FROM THE FREE THROW LINE

  • UCF has hit 81.9 percent of its free throw opportunities through the first five games of the season, which leads the conference and is seventh in the nation as of Nov. 30.
  • The Knights' current single-season record for highest field goal percentage is 76.1 percent (1975-76).
  • Fifth year senior Brandon Mahan has not missed a free throw dating back to 02/01/21 at Memphis (last 15 games).
  • Mahan is a perfect 34-for-34 in free throw attempts over that stretch.
  • Mahan is currently UCF's all-time free throw percentage leader at 85.5 percent over his career.

GREEN IS GOOD

  • Junior Darin Green Jr. has made a big leap forward in year three with the Knights as he leads the team with 16.4 points per game to open the season.
  • Green leads the conference in made threes (17-of-35) and three point percentage (48.6).
  • He has led UCF in points in four out of its first five games to open play, with double-digit points in all five games.
  • Green has posted two games with five made threes to open the season
  • Green debuted on the season with a solid 14 points, including six from beyond the arc, to open the 2021-22 season with a win over Robert Morris Nov. 10.
  • He followed up the solid opening game with a team-high 23-point effort in UCF's 95-89 win at Miami on Nov. 13, and another team-high 11 points in the Knight's 63-54 win over Jacksonville on Nov. 16.
  • Green was solid in year two for the Knights during the 2020-21 season, averaging 11.3 points per game, which ranked 17th in the conference and third on the team.
  • The Charlotte, North Carolina product also led the Knights with 53 made 3-pointers in 2020-21 and ranked seventh in the league with 2.3 made threes per game. 
  • Green was also monumental in UCF's 86-74 win over then 15th-rated Florida State last season as he knocked down six 3-pointers and scored a season-high 20 points against the Seminoles.
  • In his freshman season in 2020-21, Green set a UCF freshman record with 68 made 3-pointers
  • He led The American with 41.7 percent shooting from 3-point range and 2.3 threes made per game.

PERRY POISED AS POINT GUARD

  • Fifth-year senior Darius Perry proved to be a leader for the Knights in his first season in Orlando, leading the way with 14.7 points per game, good for seventh in the conference.
  • Perry was named a team captain, along with Cheikh Mbacke Diong and Levy Renaud to begin the 2021-22 season.
  • Perry immediately proved to be worthy of that honor as he led the Knights with 18 points, four assists and four offensive rebounds to help the Knights edge out Robert Morris in their season opener.
  • Perry is currently second in the conference and 35th in the nation with 5.2 asssits per game.
  • He currently leads UCF with 26 assists on the season (next closest is 10), is second on the team with 67 points to open the season, and is third on the team with 19 rebounds through team's first five games.
  • The former Louisville Cardinal was a third-team all-conference honoree last season.
  • Perry also led UCF in assists with 3.4 per contest, was second among qualifiers with a 38.3 three-point field goal percentage and was second behind only Mahan with a 86.4 free throw percentage.
  • Perry made 10 made 3-pointers against Tulsa (Feb. 6) and Wichita State (Feb. 10) in 2020-21, which were the most made threes in back-to-back games by a Knight since Matt Williams had 10 against Houston and Memphis on Feb. 1 and Feb. 4, 2017.