2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team

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.

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball
ConferenceAmerican Athletic Conference
2020–21 record4–9 (2–8 AAC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaAddition Financial Arena
2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 5 Houston10–2 .833  15–2  .882
Wichita State6–2 .750  10–4  .714
Memphis7–3 .700  11–6  .647
SMU6–4 .600  10–4  .714
Tulsa6–5 .545  9–7  .563
South Florida3–3 .500  7–5  .583
Temple3–6 .333  4–6  .400
Cincinnati2–4 .333  4–7  .364
East Carolina2–6 .250  8–6  .571
Tulane2–6 .250  7–6  .538
UCF2–8 .200  4–9  .308
† 2021 AAC Tournament winner
As of February 4, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll

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
  1. 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"195Graduate StudentPowder Springs, GATransferred from Louisville after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.[3]
C. J. WalkerF6'8"200SophomoreSanford, 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:   Rivals:   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:   Rivals:   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 16 April 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 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)195 lb (88 kg) GSLouisville Powder Springs, GA
    G 3 Isaiah Adams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)170 lb (77 kg) FrPaxon School for Advanced Studies Jacksonville, Florida
    F 4 Jamille Reynolds 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)230 lb (104 kg) FrLakewood Senior High School Saint Petersburg, Florida
    C 5 Avery Diggs 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)250 lb (113 kg) SrSW Mississippi CC Brandon, Florida
    G 10 Levy Renaud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrNSU University School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
    G 11 Xavier Grant (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrAmerican Heritage School Fort Lauderdale, Florida
    G 13 Brandon Mahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)200 lb (91 kg) SrTexas A&M Birmingham, Alabama
    F 14 Ibrahim Famouke Doumbia 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) RS JrSouth Carolina Bamako, Mali
    F 20 Sean Mobley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS JrVCU Melbourne, Florida
    F 21 C. J. Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)200 lb (91 kg) SoOregon Sanford, Florida
    G 22 Darin Green Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoWharton High School Charlotte, North Carolina
    G 24 Dre Fuller Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)210 lb (95 kg) RS SoAdmiral Farragut Academy Fayetteville, North Carolina
    F 25 Ryan Anders (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrWharton High School Tampa, Florida
    C 33 Moses Bol 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m)225 lb (102 kg) RS JrColby CC Wau, South Sudan
    C 35 Collin Smith 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)240 lb (109 kg) RS SrGeorge Washington Jacksonville, Florida
    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
    Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

    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 Nov 28th was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.[8]
    • The game vs. Houston originally scheduled for Dec 15th was moved to Dec 26th due to positive COVID-19 tests in the Houston program.[9]
    • The game vs. Tulane orignally scheduled for Dec 30th was moved to Feb 12th due to COVID-19 issues.[10]
    • The game vs. Memphis originally scheduled for Jan 5th was moved to Feb 1st due to COVID-19 issues.[11]
    • The game @ Tulsa originally scheduled for Jan 9th was moved to March 2nd in Orlando due to COVID-19 issues.[12]
    • The game vs. Tulsa originally scheduled for Feb 6th was moved to Tulsa.[13]

    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
    12:00 p.m., ABC    		 No. 6 Houston L 54–63  3–2
    (1–1)    		  19 – Sasser  5 – Tied  5 – Jarreau  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 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
     ESPN2/ESPNU    		 at Tulsa     Reynolds Center 
    Tulsa, OK
    February 10, 2021
    7:00 p.m., ESPN+    		 Wichita State     Addition Financial Arena 
    Orlando, FL
    February 12, 2021
    		 Tulane     Addition Financial Arena 
    Orlando, FL
    February 14, 2021
    1:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 at Cincinnati     Fifth Third Arena 
    Cincinnati, OH
    February 17, 2021
     ESPNU    		 South Florida
    War on I-4    		     Addition Financial Arena 
    Orlando, FL
    February 20, 2021
    2:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 at Tulane     Devlin Fieldhouse 
    New Orleans, LA
    February 23, 2021
    7:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 at SMU     Moody Coliseum 
    University Park, TX
    February 27, 2021
    4:00 p.m., ESPNU    		 Temple     Addition Financial Arena 
    Orlando, FL
    March 2, 2021
    		 Tulsa     Addition Financial Arena 
    Orlando, FL
    March 4, 2021
    9:00 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU    		 at East Carolina     Williams Arena 
    Greenville, NC
    American Athletic Conference Tournament
    March 11–14, 2021
    TBD    		 vs.      Dickies Arena 
    Fort Worth, TX
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Eastern Time.

    References
    1. Lester, Bryson. "Thunderbirds Add Top-Tier Transfer Yuat Alok". suutbirds.com. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
    2. Murphy, Brian (18 Mar 2020). "Ceasar DeJesus Leaving UCF, Planning to Go Pro". blackandgoldbanneret.com. SB Nation. Retrieved 16 Apr 2020.
    3. Evans, Corey [@coreyevans_10] (20 Apr 2020). "Louisville grad-transfer Darius Perry just committed to UCF, his father tells RivalsPortal" (Tweet). Retrieved 20 Apr 2020 – via Twitter.
    4. @JonRothstein (23 Nov 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 (6 Jul 2020). "Former five-star Oregon transfer CJ Walker commits to UCF". 247Sports. Retrieved 7 Jul 2020.
    6. "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
    7. "UCF Announces Home-And-Home With Michigan". ucfknights.com. UCF Athletics. 16 Jul 2020. Retrieved 16 Jul 2020.
    8. "UCF versus Memphis basketball game postponed due to COVID-19". orlandosentinel.com. 5 Jan 2021.
    9. "Houston-UCF Men's Basketball Game on Dec. 15 Postponed". theamerican.org. 10 Dec 2020.
    10. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. 27 Jan 2021.
    11. "Memphis-UCF Men's Basketball Game Rescheduled for Feb. 1". theamerican.org. 7 Jan 2021.
    12. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. 27 Jan 2021.
    13. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. 27 Jan 2021.
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