The Longhorns (25-3, 12-3) should be looking to bounce back from an underwhelming victory over Texas Tech when they take the court Saturday in Orlando against the Big12 cellar-dwelling UCF Knights (12-13, 3-12). This will be the first meeting between the 2 programs. UCF's record may not impress but they are not a team to take lightly. The Knights have given legitimate scares to other ranked teams (74-77 loss to Baylor, 58-60 loss to KSU) and even notched a good win against Iowa State.
Coaching Staff Connections:
Vic was very angry after the W over Tech in his press conference and I felt a bit bad for Taylor and Amina who were with him in the post game press conference. Those 2 actually played well and with effort not shown by some of their teammates. Vic seemed to cool off between then and his press availability the next day.
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @BrownHorn
Coaching Staff Connections:
- UCF HC Sytia Messer is in her 2nd season at the helm. She is very familiar with Texas WBB, an assistant coach under Skeletor from 2013-2022 at Baylor and then a season at LSU. She was also a college teammate of current Texas DBO Christy Smith when they made the Final 4 together at Arkansas in 1998. The pair made that run under a demanding, young-ish Associate Head Coach, Vic Schaefer.
- Another familiar face on the UCF bench will be former longtime WVU head coach Mike Carey. Carey's Mountaineers played a style of basketball more akin to rugby than hoops and gave the Longhorns all they could handle over years.
- Kaitlin Peterson: 5' 9" Guard - Knights' leading scorer at 20.3 ppg is a volume scorer (435 FGA - no Longhorn has more than 342) and also has twice as many steals (55) and FTA (155) as anyone else on the UCF roster.
- Laila Jewett: 5' 10" Guard - Their most consistent shooter from distance (34/83, 41.0%), leads the team in assists (3.4/game) - 8.5 ppg
- Mya Burns: 6' Guard - 2nd leading scorer (10.6 ppg), leads the team in blocks (16) and has a tendency to get into foul trouble.
- Morgan Robinson-Nwagwu: 5' 8" Guard - recently took over a starting role, 10 starts in 25 games this season
- Khyala Ngodu: 6' 3" Center -like Robinson-Nwagwu, has started 11 of 25 games
- Of the 13 players on the roster, 9 of them began their college careers at a school other than UCF.
- The Knights have 2 players at 6' 3" and another 2 at 6' 2", Texas has the size advantage in the paint.
- UCF does not take care of the ball, averaging 18.5 turnovers per game, to only 11.5 assists
- Without Rori, the Longhorns give it away 15.4 and record 13.5 assists (12.4 TO and 20.7 assists with Rori at PG)
Vic was very angry after the W over Tech in his press conference and I felt a bit bad for Taylor and Amina who were with him in the post game press conference. Those 2 actually played well and with effort not shown by some of their teammates. Vic seemed to cool off between then and his press availability the next day.
@mln59 @thar0902 @icdb17 @wb3032 @BrownHorn
