KANSAS CITY, Mo. — UCF will ride the momentum of a big second half in its Big 12 tournament opener into a second-round matchup against sixth-seeded Kansas on Wednesday.
The 14th-seeded Knights (17-15) trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half against Utah on Tuesday but emerged with an 87-72 win. UCF’s Keyshawn Hall scored 23 points, including 17 in the second half.
Besides Hall, the Knights received 20 points from Darius Johnson, 15 from Jordan Ivy-Curry, and 14 points and 11 rebounds from Moustapha Thiam.
“I’m just proud of our guys for battling,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said. “We got off to a slow start and we had to battle back, which says a lot about our guys. I’m really proud of our guys’ effort.
“I think it may have been one of the best second halves we’ve had all season long. I thought our guys really played efficient basketball offensively, and I thought the defense was outstanding.”
The Knights’ next opponent is enduring an atypical season, as Kansas (20-11) enters the Big 12 tournament unranked for the first time in 22 seasons under coach Bill Self. The Jayhawks saw a 80-week streak of being ranked end last month after a stretch in which they went 4-5.
On paper, the Jayhawks look as good as ever, with double-double machine Hunter Dickinson in the middle. Dickinson averages 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. Zeke Mayo is chipping in 14.0 points per game, while KJ Adams Jr. and Dajuan Harris Jr. average 9.1 points per game.
However, the Jayhawks have lost far too many late leads, and their sixth-place finish is the first time that a Self-led Kansas team isn’t among the top four seeds in the Big 12 tournament.
“This year — last year, too — has been more inconsistent going into the tournament,” Self said Monday. “I still think we have enough gas in the tank to play our best moving forward. If we do that, it can make for a very exciting time for us.”
Kansas swept the teams’ two regular-season meetings, beating the Knights 99-48 on Jan. 5 in Orlando and 91-87 on Jan. 28 in Lawrence, Kan.
