UCF played the No. 1 team in the country toe-to-toe Wednesday night, but the Knights couldn’t pull off the monumental upset.
Instead, Houston locked up a share of the Big 12 regular-season title with a 67-59 win at Addition Financial Arena.
“I thought our guys fought, fought hard and gave a great effort. but we came up short,” said UCF coach Johnny Dawkins. “But coming down the stretch, they were able to make the plays they needed to make, and we have to be better in that area.”
UCF (15-14, 6-11 Big 12) got out to a quick start, scoring the game’s first 6 points before the Cougars (27-3, 14-3 Big 12) could get on the scoreboard. The Knights continued to hold the lead throughout the first half, entering halftime with a 31-28 advantage.
The first time these teams met on Jan. 20, Houston held UCF to a season-low 7 field goal attempts as Houston pulled away with a 57-42 win. This time the Knights were more aggressive on both ends, scoring their seventh field goal with 8:36 left in the first half.
Houston chipped away in the second half, taking its first lead at 45-42 with 12:01 left on a 3-pointer by Jamal Shead.
The Cougars demonstrated why they’re one of the top defensive teams in the country, holding UCF scoreless for a four-minute stretch that saw UH turn a 2-point Knights advantage into a 9-point lead.
“I feel like our defense was pretty good in the first half. We held them to 28 points, and we had a lot of momentum going into the second half,” said UCF guard Shemarri Allen. “We laid back defensively, hoping that our shots would continue to fall on the offense.”
Added Dawkins: “We did a really good job [defensively] in the first half. In the second half, they found something that worked. They found [LJ] Cryer, and Cryer was hot. They found him, and they kept feeding him, and he made plays.”
Cryer scored 19 of his game-high 25 points in the second half as Houston outscored UCF 39-28 in the final 20 minutes.
CJ Walker led three UCF players in double figures with 15 points, Darius Johnson added 14, and Jaylin Sellers had 12.
Four Cougars scored in double digits, led by Cryer, Shead (16 points), J’Wan Roberts (12), and Ja’Vier Francis (10).
This was the first time that UCF hosted a top-ranked team and the third time the Knights have faced an overall No. 1. They previously lost to No. 1 Duke 77-76 in the second round of the 2018-19 NCAA Tournament and No. 1 Memphis 85-64 on Feb. 9, 2008.
It was Senior Night and the final home game for a handful of UCF players: Antwaan Jones, Omar Payne, Ibrahima Diallo, Walker and Allen.
Houston has been dealing with mounting injuries, losing freshman forward Jojo Tugler (foot) and guard/forward Ramon Walker (knee) to season-ending injuries.
Wednesday’s outcome extended Houston’s winning streak to nine games over the Knights, dating to the 2018-19 season.
The Cougars not only clinched a share of the Big 12 title in their first season but they sit in a strong position for the No. 1 seed in the conference and NCAA tournaments.
“This was our sixth consecutive year winning a championship,” said UH coach Kelvin Sampson. “That’s where the DNA comes from. Our kids know how to win.
“It’s easy to look good at home. Most good teams win at home, but championship-level teams win on the road.”
UCF finished the regular season with an 11-7 record at home, including a 4-5 mark in the Big 12. Three of the four victories, however, were against ranked opponents: No. 3 Kansas (Jan. 10), No. 23 Oklahoma (Feb. 3), and No. 23 Texas Tech (Feb. 24).
The Knights wrap up the season at TCU (19-10, 8-8 Big 12) on Saturday before traveling to Kansas City for the Big 12 Tournament next week.
Email Matt Murschel at [email protected] or follow him on X at @osmattmurschel.
