2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
Record11-12 (8–10 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAddition Financial Arena
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
ConfOverall
TeamW L PCTW L PCT
Wichita State11–2 .84616–6  .727
No. 6 Houston †14–3 .82428–4  .875
Memphis11–4 .73320–8  .714
SMU7–4 .63611–6  .647
Cincinnati8–6 .57112–11  .522
UCF8–10 .44411–12  .478
Tulsa7–9 .43811–12  .478
South Florida4–10 .2869–13  .409
Temple4–10 .2865–11  .313
Tulane4–12 .25010–13  .435
East Carolina2–10 .1678–11  .421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team represents the University of Central Florida during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights are 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 play 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

NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Yuat Alok0F6'11"225JuniorAuckland, New ZealandTransferred to Southern Utah (mid-season)[1]
Matt Milon2G6'5"210Graduate StudentOviedo, FLCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Ceasar DeJesus4G6'2"190RS JuniorJersey City, NJPlay professionally[2]
Dazon Ingram12G6'6"205Graduate StudentTheodore, ALCompleted college eligibility[lower-alpha 1]
Frank Bertz20G6'5"180SeniorHesperia, CAGraduated
Collin Smith35F6'11"240Redshirt JuniorJacksonville, FLLeft the team due to health issues
  1. 1 2 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

NamePos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Darius PerryG6'2"185SeniorMarietta, GATransferred from Louisville after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[3]
C. J. WalkerF6'8"205SophomoreSanford, FATransferred from Oregon. Walker was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.[4] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.[5]

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
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 
Recruiting 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 
Recruiting 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)
1Houston99 (2)
2Memphis90 (2)
3SMU80
4Cincinnati77
5South Florida61
6Tulsa50
7Wichita State44
8UCF37
9East Carolina34
10Temple18
11Tulane15

Roster

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0 Josh Kaplan (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)160 lb (73 kg) JrJohn F. Kennedy High School Merrick, New York
G 1 Tony Johnson Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoThe Skill Factory Eufaula, Alabama
G 2 Darius Perry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) SrLouisville Marietta, Georgia
F 3 Isaiah Adams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) FrPaxon School for Advanced Studies Jacksonville, Florida
F 4 Jamille Reynolds 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)285 lb (129 kg) FrLakewood Senior High School St. Petersburg, Florida
C 5 Avery Diggs 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)245 lb (111 kg) SrSW Mississippi CC Brandon, Florida
G 10 Levy Renaud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrNSU University School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
G 11 Xavier Grant (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) JrAmerican Heritage School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
G 13 Brandon Mahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)205 lb (93 kg) SrTexas A&M Birmingham, Alabama
G 15 Isaac Ward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)185 lb (84 kg) FrTampa Preparatory School Tampa, Florida
F 20 Sean Mobley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)235 lb (107 kg) RS JrVCU Orlando, Florida
F 21 C. J. Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoOregon Sanford, Florida
G 22 Darin Green Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoWharton High School Charlotte, North Carolina
G 24 Dre Fuller Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)215 lb (98 kg) RS SoAdmiral Farragut Academy Fayetteville, North Carolina
F 25 Ryan Anders (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)235 lb (107 kg) JrWharton High School Tampa, Florida
C 33 Moses Bol 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)230 lb (104 kg) RS JrColby 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

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.
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