BYU moved up four spots to No. 19 in the AP Top 25 poll Monday morning. The Cougars are currently tied for sixth in the Big 12 with Tuesday’s opponent, the UCF Knights.
UCF is 19-7 and currently ranked No. 46 in the NCAA’s NET rankings, which would make Tuesday’s clash a Quad 2 win for BYU. Neither team has any Quad 3 or 4 losses, meaning both have been strong against weak competition.
UCF is led by two transfer guards who both average 14 points per game. Themus Fulks, a transfer from Milwaukee, is second in the conference in assists per game at 6.7. He also turns the ball over the third most in the conference, giving it away more than three times per game. He shoots percentages very similar to Rob Wright III.
The Knights' other scoring guard is Riley Kugel, a transfer from Mississippi State. Like Fulks, Kugel is also a good 3-point shooter, but he creates more looks for himself, whereas Fulks is more of a playmaker. Kugel was listed as questionable on the most recent Big 12 availability report.
Leading the Knights in the frontcourt are Jamichael Stillwell, who leads the team in rebounds with nearly eight per game, and Jordan Burks, a 6-foot-9 Georgetown transfer who is very versatile.
Another fun matchup to watch will be Keba Keita and 7-foot-2 center John Bol of South Sudan. Both are strong lob threats.
The Knights are coached by 1986 Naismith College Player of the Year Johnny Dawkins. Dawkins is in his 18th season as a head coach and has a career record of 343-242 (.586), with stints at Stanford (2008-16) and UCF (2016-present).
The Knights are still looking for their first win against the Cougars in men’s basketball, as BYU leads the all-time series 4-0. They are looking to keep the momentum going after beating TCU and Utah last week.
It will be interesting to see if fatigue plays a role in this game. Not only are the Knights playing at altitude for the second game in a row, but they will have been on the road for five straight days, and the game starts at 9 p.m. MST.
If BYU can come out with the same amount of energy it brought in its game against Iowa State on Saturday, it should be able to overpower the Knights. However, highly emotional games like that are often followed by a letdown.
KenPom gives BYU an 84% chance to win, while ESPN’s analytics predictor gives the Cougars an 86.8% chance to win. This is likely the easiest remaining game on the schedule, as BYU’s only other home game of the season is against Texas Tech on Senior Night.
If the Cougars win the last four games on their regular-season schedule, they are likely looking at between a No. 3 and a No. 5 seed.
Will the Cougars be able to lock down UCF’s athletic guards, or will the raised expectations come crashing down after their massive win? Tune in at 9 p.m. MST on ESPN2 to find out.