The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

[nolan887]

UCF @ Rice

SHOOTOUT IN HOUSTON LEAVES OWLS STUNNED

UCF Knights 16-3 (5-2) vs Rice Owls 7-9 (2-6)

Tudor Fieldhouse

Houston, TX

February 3, 2014

Houston, TX - Insert clever gun joke here... this game was an absolute shootout. It was almost as if neither team knew what the word defense meant as both the UCF Knights and Rice Owls were scoring at will for the entire forty minutes tonight. Rice got out to a big halftime lead, but the Knights shot the lights out from down town in the second half going 10-13 from behind the arc and coming back in the final minutes to beat Rice. UCF, who has prided their team on defense all season, has been lacking in that department for the past few games. They will need to step it up on defense if they want to continue their hot streak this season. Pearson Shannon had a team high 23 points in this bout, but was a non factor on defense with zero blocks, 1 steal and allowing opposing big man Jim Padgett to put up 19 points and grab 13 boards. Nicholas Simmons also played poor defense allowing opposing SG Wesley Aguilar to score 23 points.

"GARBAGE!" Coach Nolan said of his team. "Aguilar scores 23 points and he is playing with a broken finger? HELLO?! CAN I BUY SOME DEFENSE PLEASE? I don't even want to talk about it. Yes, we won, but who cares? We played like absolute trash and I am appalled by our effort on the defensive end of the floor tonight. If we continue to play like this, we might just finish in 11th place. We've got a big game against Tulane to try to right the ship but judging from our performance today I really don't know what to tell you."

Next up for the Knights are the Tulane Green Wave in Orlando. UCF lost their last home game and will hope to shoot like they did tonight against Tulane. The Green Wave are currently 15-6 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The Knights are sitting at third in the conference and with a win will move up to a two way tie with Tulsa, both behind #20 Houston. If UCF wants any chance of winning, they need to play defense like they were at the beginning of the season especially against powerhouse Kevin Perry who is averaging 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game this season.

Central Florida (16-3) at Rice (7-9)
February 3, 2015 1 2 F Central Florida 35 57 92 Rice 47 44 91 Top Performers Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 23 Pts, 1 Stl J.J. Bone - 13 Pts (3-7 3pt), 1 Reb, 9 Ast, 4 Stl Rice - Stats Jim Padgett - 19 Pts, 13 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk Wesley Aguilar - 23 Pts (3-9 3pt), 2 Ast, 2 Stl	Team Stat Comparison UCF Rice FG Made-Attempted 38-70 39-67 3P Made-Attempted 10-19 7-22 FT Made-Attempted 6-7 6-8 Rebounds 29 28 Assists 26 21 Steals 15 13 Blocks 0 4 Turnovers 13 16

[nolan887]

UCF vs Tulane

UCF DEFENSE SHOWS UP IN A BIG WAY, MOVE TO 2ND IN CONFERENCE

UCF Knights 17-3 (6-2) vs Tulane Green Wave 15-7 (5-4)

UCF Arena

Orlando, FL

February 7, 2014

Orlando, FL - Coach Nolan's public comments after their sloppy defensive showing this past Tuesday lit the fuse and tonight the Knights went off. UCF forced 14 Tulane turnovers and picked the Green Wave pocket an additional twelve times. Additionally, the Knights held Tulane to 41 total points and just 14 in the second half. The first half was a back and forth battle, but the UCF defense upped the pressure and used their full court press the entire second half to seal a 19 point victory. Pearson Shannon was called out by his coach last game and stepped up in a big way posting a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Freshman center Michael Boyce also did a great job with a near double-double effort of 12 points and 9 rebounds of his own. Both Shannon and Boyce teamed up to effectively shut down Kevin Perry, holding him to only 9 points and boxing him out so he could only record 2 rebounds. The Knights defense as a whole played fantastic all game, and did not allow any Tulane player to score more than 9 points.

"I am very proud the team responded the way they did," Coach Nolan explained. "I did not appologize for my comments last game-they were true, and they are how I felt and how I still feel. I told them they needed to step it up on defense and they did just that, it was a great home victory for us today. Pearson had his usual great game, but Bone and Gardner also did an effective job handling the ball and really slowing it down on the offensive end and not rushing our shots. We tend to sometimes get too gung-ho and let the opposition back in games that they shouldn't be in. Lets hope we can keep this up at Southern Methodist and try to battle Houston for that #1 spot in the conference next Saturday!"

Southern Methodist is next on slate for the Knights. The Mustangs have a record of 11-11 and a conference record of 4-5. Tied for seventh in the conference, the Mustangs are looking to knock UCF down a peg. The Knights are currently in 2nd in the conference behind only Houston and hope to win their next two games to at least tie the Cougars for first place. Before they can get to first however, they need to focus on shutting down SMU's Reid Merriex who is averaging 17 points and 6 rebounds per game this season.

Tulane (15-7) at Central Florida (17-3)
February 7, 2015 1 2 F Tulane 27 14 41 Central Florida 26 34 60 Top Performers Tulane - Stats Amit Russell - 8 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk Kevin Perry - 9 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 20 Pts, 12 Reb, 3 Stl, 1 Blk Michael Boyce - 12 Pts, 9 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 3 Blk	Team Stat Comparison TU UCF FG Made-Attempted 17-48 19-47 3P Made-Attempted 3-11 1-7 FT Made-Attempted 4-6 21-24 Rebounds 21 32 Assists 10 13 Steals 5 12 Blocks 3 4 Turnovers 14 5

[nolan887]

Mid Conference Update

MID-CONFERENCE UPDATE

Orlando, FL - As promised, midway through conference play we take a step back to evaluate the teams around the NCAA. Updated Media Top 25, Mid-Major Top 25 and Conference USA standings have been released. The next update will be released at the end of the regular season, headed into tournament play.

Conference USA Standings:
1. #20 Houston Cougars: 17-6 (8-1)
2. UCF Knights: 17-3 (6-2)
-- Tulsa Golden Hurricane: 14-8 (6-2)
4. Tulane Green Wave: 15-7 (5-4)
-- East Carolina Pirates: 13-9 (5-4)
-- UTEP Miners: 12-10 (5-4)
7. Memphis Tigers: 12-9 (4-5)
-- Southern Methodist Mustangs: 11-11 (4-5)
9. Rice Owls: 8-9 (3-6)
-- Southern Miss Golden Eagles: 10-11 (3-6)
11. UAB Blazers: 5-12 (2-6)
12. Marshall Thundering Herd: 9-10 (1-7)

Media Top 25 Poll:

NCAA Basketball Rankings - AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD
1	Georgetown Hoyas	20-2
2	Vanderbilt Commodores	19-3
3	Arizona State Sun Devils	18-4
4	Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets	19-5
5	Iowa State Cyclones	21-3
6	Wisconsin Badgers	18-4
7	Indiana Hoosiers	18-4
8	Oregon Ducks	18-6
9	Arizona Wildcats	19-4
10	Saint Louis Billikens	18-6
11	NC State Wolfpack	18-4
12	Xavier Musketeers	17-5
13	Maryland Terrapins	17-4
14	Villanova Wildcats	17-5
15	Michigan State	18-6
16	Syracuse Orange	18-5
17	California Golden Bears	18-6
18	Boise State Broncos	19-3
19	Miami Hurricanes	18-4
20	Houston Cougars	17-6
21	Seton Hall Pirates	17-6
22	UCLA Bruins	17-6
23	Notre Dame Fighting Irish	18-6
24	Texas Tech Red Raiders	16-6
25	Rider Broncs	21-3

Mid-Major Top 25 Poll:

NCAA Basketball Rankings - Mid-Major Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD
1	Boise State Broncos	19-3
2	Rider Broncs	21-3
3	Gonzaga Bulldogs	17-8
4	Akron Zips	14-7
5	Pepperdine Waves	20-5
6	San Diego Toreros	18-6
7	Ball State Cardinals	17-5
8	Idaho Vandals	19-5
9	Fresno State Bulldogs	15-7
10	Wisonsin-Green Bay Phoenix	16-5
11	George Mason Patriots	17-6
12	New Mexico State Aggies	15-7
13	Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders	15-6
14	New Orleans Privateers	17-7
15	Ohio Bobcats	14-8
16	Bradley Braves	16-6
17	Troy Trojans	18-9
18	Loyola College Greyhounds	17-6
19	UC Riverside Highlanders	14-6
20	Iona Gaels	15-9
21	Towson TIgers	17-7
22	Hofstra Pride	15-8
23	San Francisco Dons	14-10
24	Illinois-Chicago Flames	15-7
25	Evansville Purple Aces	15-10

Other Notables:
Princeton Tigers: 7-11 (4-2), 2nd Ivy
Wofford Terriers: 7-15 (6-9), 8th SoCon
UALR Trojans: 12-11 (7-6), 5th Sun Belt
UNF Ospreys: 14-12 (8-3), T-1st A-Sun
UC Davis Aggies: 13-10 (8-2), T-1st Big West
Army Black Knights: 5-18 (3-6), T-6th Patriot
San Francisco Dons: 14-10 (4-5), 5th WCC
WVU Mointaineers: 13-10 (6-4), T-6th Big East
SC State Bulldogs: 14-6 (8-3), 1st MEAC
St. John's Red Storm: 13-9 (4-7), 13th Big East

[grismosw]

Re: UCF vs UTEP

I made the switch the MOP for a few games, but the CPU seems to always shoot amazingly. It's kind of reminiscent of the Robo-QB of EA's NCAA Football series to me.

I just don't like the flow of the game on MOP as much as All-Conference or even All-American.

With the right sliders you can get great results on MOP. I've had games where the CPU shoots anywhere from 30-55%, similar range for my team.

[RayAllen20]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

like this legacy a lot man. i could never play as a small conference or mid major school like you're doing, i always got bored, and wanted to the play the monsters of the big east. anyways, good luck

[nolan887]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

like this legacy a lot man. i could never play as a small conference or mid major school like you're doing, i always got bored, and wanted to the play the monsters of the big east. anyways, good luck

Thanks. I was planning on playing at UCF until my dream jobs at Ohio State or Miami opened up, but I think I'll probably jump ship if a power conference job is offered this year or next year. I've simmed ahead to see what might happen and Cuse is looking to open up this year and UNC next year, so if I do well enough thats probably where I'll end up.

[nolan887]

UCF @ Southern Methodist

UCF FLOPS IN SECOND HALF, LOSES AT BUZZER

UCF Knights 17-4 (6-3) at Southern Methodist Mustangs 12-12 (5-5)

Moody Coliseum

Dallas, TX

February 11, 2014

Dallas, TX -The Knights' great start to the season has been more like a roller coaster the past few weeks, and today's game was no exception. After a great first half of play, the Knights went dead after halftime and ended up losing at the buzzer against a sub-par Southern Methodist team. The Mustangs came alive in the second half and UCF's defense had no response. SMU starting guards Rush and Jefferson scored 22 and 15 points respectively. The Southern Methodist team shot 47% fromt he floor and 46% from deep in the game. UCF's big men Shannon and Boyce had decent games with 19 and 11 points, but they faltered on defense in the second half, allowing 41 points, and a dagger at the buzzer.

"To play as good as we did on defense last game and to come out flat for an entire twenty minutes, it just makes me sick," Coach Nolan commented. "We started off the season so hot and we really can't seem to find our identity right now. We were hoping to be able to take on a Houston team at home next game to tie for first place in the conference, but it looks like we will be playing from behind for the rest of the season."

The Knights will take on the Houston Cougars on Saturday at UCF Arena in Orlando. The Cougars have been hot all season and come in ranked #20 in the nation. Houston is 18-6 overall and 9-1 in the conference. With four starting juniors, the Cougars look to have a good team this year and next barring any NBA decisions. Houston comes into Orlando winning 10 of the last 11 games. UCF will have their hands full on defense with Corrigan who averages 14 poitns, 6 assists, and 2 steals per game, and Schiffner who is shooting 46% from behind the arc in the Cougar's high octane uptempo offense.

Central Florida (17-4) at Southern Methodist (12-12)
February 11, 2015 1 2 F Central Florida 36 29 65 Southern Methodist 27 41 68 Top Performers Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 19 Pts, 3 Reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk Mickael Boyce - 11 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Blk Southern Methodist - Stats Jerald Rush - 22 Pts (3-6 3pt), 7 Reb, 3 Ast Clifford Jefferson - 15 Pts (2-4 4pt), 3 Reb, 7 Ast	Team Stat Comparison UCF SMU FG Made-Attempted 21-48 25-53 3P Made-Attempted 1-4 6-13 FT Made-Attempted 22-35 12-15 Rebounds 25 29 Assists 8 18 Steals 12 4 Blocks 3 6 Turnovers 5 15

[nolan887]

Re: The Legacy of Coach Nolan (ch2k8)

SHANNON INJURED, KNIGHTS PULL OUT WIN

UCF Knights 18-4 (7-3) vs Houston Cougars 18-7 (9-2)

UCF Arena

Orlando, FL

February 14, 2014

Orlando, FL - The UCF roller coaster ride us back on the upswing tonight after a win over the first place and #20 team in the nation Houston Cougars. After a very close first half, the Knights really stepped it up on defense and limited the Cougars to just 17 second half points. UCF powerhouse Pearson Shannon went down in the first minutes of the game and was not seen for the remainder of the bout. With Shannon out, Goodman took advantage underneath for the Cougars by picking up a near double-double with 10 points and 9 rebounds. Houston PG Corrigan also had a decent game with 13 poitns and 5 assists. The UCF defense was able to really step it up this game and got 16 steals and 24 turnovers on the day. If the Knights can play consistently on defense for the rest of the season, they have a real chance to win the conference title again.

"Pearson rolled his ankle there int he first half, but he should be fine," Coach Nolan assured. "The trainers say 3-5 days, so we will likely give him limited minutes next game but after that he should be good to go. I am very proud of the guys for stepping it up with him down today. Closing a game out with great defense will always put a smile on my face, and all my players know that. We're looking forward to stepping it up again next game against a solid Tulsa team."

Next up for UCF is the Tulsa Golden Hurricane who come in to orlando with a 14-10 overall record and 6-4 in the conference. Their conference record is good enough for a third place tie and move to a second place tie if they beat UCF. Tulsa plays great team offense and has three starters in Boythe, Cowans, and Thues who average over ten points per game. Boythe is a force to be reckoned with on both ends of the floor with 13 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals per game. Although they share the ball, the Tulsa offense is only graded a C+. If UCF's defense shows up to play, they should be able to easily dispatch the Golden Hurricane.

Houston (18-7) at Central Florida (18-4)
February 14, 2015 1 2 F #20 Houston 35 17 52 Central Florida 36 33 69 Top Performers Houston - Stats Greg Corrigan - 13 Pts, 1 Reb, 5 Ast, 3 Stl Cal Goodman - 10 Pts, 9 Reb, 2 Stl, 3 Blk Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 12 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl, 1 Blk Michael Boyce - 9 Pts, 8 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl	Team Stat Comparison UH UCF FG Made-Attempted 21-48 27-72 3P Made-Attempted 3-13 3-9 FT Made-Attempted 7-8 12-18 Rebounds 30 37 Assists 17 10 Steals 7 16 Blocks 8 1 Turnovers 24 6

[nolan887]

UCF vs Tulsa

UCF PULLS OUT ANOTHER CONVINCING WITH WITH THEIR STELLAR DEFENSE

UCF Knights 19-4 (8-3) vs Tulsa Golden Hurricane 14-11 (6-6)

UCF Arena

Orlando, FL

February 18, 2014

Orlando, FL - There was no doubt who the better team was on the court today as the UCF Knights dominated both ends of the floor and blew out Tulsa in Orlando. The Knights' defense stepped up big in the second half again tonight and held Tulsa to only 16 second half points. Without senior Pearson Shannon on the floor, Michael Boyce stepped up to the challenge by leading all in scoring with 17 points and 6 rebounds. UCF effectively shut down Tulsa's "big three" who average over ten points per game a piece and didn't allow any of them to score more than five points on the game. UCF came up with 14 steals and 17 turnovers while shooting 50% from the floor in a convincing win.

"Pearson is good to go next game, but we really wanted to rest him," Nolan explained. "He said he was about 90% today but we would rather be safe than sorry, and Boyce was up to the challenge of filling his shoes. Offense puts fans in the seats, defense wins championships. You should know which one of those we are more interested in. Those big wins early this season are really helping us out as we are projected as a 5 seed again this season so hopefully we can keep rolling against Marshall this Saturday."

Marshal is the second worst team in C-USA with an overall record of 11-11 and conference record of 3-8. Marshall is fairly impotent on offense, getting production only from senior center Tom Braun who averages 22 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal, and 2 blocks per game. With Shannon back in the lineup, the Knights will hope to lock down in the low post and flex their defensive muscle headed into the home stretch of the season.

Tulsa (14-11) at Central Florida (19-4)
February 18, 2015 1 2 F Tulsa 27 16 43 Central Florida 33 38 71 Top Performers Tulsa - Stats Harong Washington - 12 Pts, 7 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl, 1 Blk Trevor Calvert - 8 Pts, 2 Reb, 4 Ast, 2 Stl Central Florida - Stats Michael Boyce - 17 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk Kirsten Cassler - 11 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Stl, 1 Blk	Team Stat Comparison UT UCF FG Made-Attempted 16-43 26-52 3P Made-Attempted 1-14 2-8 FT Made-Attempted 10-11 17-25 Rebounds 22 29 Assists 8 17 Steals 6 14 Blocks 2 4 Turnovers 17 6

[Deuce2223]

Re: UCF vs Tulsa

Nice defensive effort over Tulsa.. Closing in on 20 wins.. Looks to be another solid year for Coach Nolan and the Knights.

[nolan887]

UCF @ Marshall

UCF WINS 20TH GAME IN BLOWOUT FASHION

UCF Knights 20-4 (9-3) at Marshall Thundering Herd 11-12 (3-9)

Cam Henderson Center

Huntington, WV

February 21, 2014

Huntington, WV - The Knights quickly dispatched the bottom-feeding Marshall Thundering Herd in Huntington tonight. This win marks the fifth straight season in which Coach Nolan has brought his team to at least twenty wins, and second straight at UCF. The Herd got a stellar performance from Ronny West who had a career high 20 points, but it would not be enough for them to win. The Knights lacked a little bit on defense this game, but were able to run away with the game on offense while putting up 45 points in the second half. Pearson Shannon, Michael Boyce, and J.J. Bone all had double digit efforts with 19, 12, and 13 points respectively. The Knights ended the game with 24 steals while forcing 25 turnovers which led to an easy blowout win. The defense was good in the sense that they took the ball away so many times, but when the Herd got time to shoot they were seeing a lot of open shots due to defensive breakdown.

"It is hard to say we didn't play good defense when we win by twenty points and have 24 steals, but that is what I'm saying," Coach Nolan commented. "The steals were great and we had the momentum all game, but we made a ton of mental mistakes on defense that led to a lot of open shots and their guard West to drop a 20 bomb on us. Any time a player who averages four points a game shoots that well, you have to think it is a problem with your defense. Hopefully we can straighten everything out and keep rolling against Tulane next week... I'm sure they will be out for blood."

Next on tap for the Knights is a rematch with the Tulane Green Wave. Tulane is 17-8 overall and 7-5 in conference play. In their previous match up, UCF held Tulane to just 41 points in a blowout win. The Green Wave will hope to get big men Perry, Cammon, and Russel going if they hope to eek out a win against the Knights. All three big men average 12 points per game, but none broke double digits in their last bout. Tulane is tied for third int he conference and will hope to knock UCF down a peg in attempts to climb to the top of C-USA in the final two weeks of the season.

Central Florida (20-4) at Marshall (11-12)
February 21, 2015 1 2 F Central Florida 33 45 78 Marshall 28 30 58 Top Performers Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 19 Pts, 6 Reb, 1 Ast, 2 Stl J.J. Bone - 13 Pts, 3 Reb, 3 Ast, 5 Stl Marshall - Stats Ronny West - 20 Pts (3-6 3pt) Tom Braun - 14 Pts, 7 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk	Team Stat Comparison UCF MAR FG Made-Attempted 27-60 23-48 3P Made-Attempted 5-6 4-8 FT Made-Attempted 19-24 8-13 Rebounds 30 24 Assists 10 16 Steals 24 11 Blocks 2 8 Turnovers 13 25

[nolan887]

UCF @ Tulane

UCF BREAKS TOP-25, OUTLASTS TULANE

UCF Knights 21-4 (10-3) at Tulane Green Wave 17-10 (7-6)

Avron B. Fogelman Arena

New Orleans, LA

February 25, 2014

New Orleans, LA - The Knights cracked the Top 25 this week, heading into New Orleans as the twenty fifth best team in the nation. Although Shannon and Boyce didn't have huge performances like they usually do, but J.J. Bone went off. He ended the game with 15 points, shooting 3 for 3 from deep. Gilbert Logie also shot the lights out going 2 for 2 from three point range. The Knights were up almost the entire game and went into the half with a nine point lead. UCF would go essentially shot-for-shot with Tulane in the second half and ended with a nine point win. The defense for the Knights played another great game and forced sixteen Tulane turnovers.

"We played great," commented Coach Nolan. "We were lights out from deep and didn't force the load on our big guys today. They are both great players, but you can't expect them to play great every game. We are excited to be ranked again this season as well. It was about this time last year when I coached a team to a ranking for the first time and it is just as exciting this time. Hopefully we can win our fifth straight against ECU this weekend and keep our rank and spirits up."

Next up for the Knights are the ECU Pirates who sit at 15-11 overall and 7-6 in conference play. In their previous match up UCF pulled out a fifteen point win. The Knights checked out mentally in the second half after building a 30 points first half lead, and will look to prove they are a better team in Orlando on Saturday. After ECU, the Knights host Southern Mississippi for UCF's senior night. With their win tonight, the Knights moved into a tie for first with Houston and have a chance to win the conference if they win out for the rest of the season.

Central Florida (21-4) at Tulane (17-10)
February 25, 2015 1 2 F #25 Central Florida 37 28 65 Tulane 28 28 56 Top Performers Central Florida - Stats J.J. Bone - 15 Pts (3-3 3pt), 1 Reb, 4 Ast Kirsten Cassler - 13 Pts, 1 Reb, 1 Stl, 1 Blk Tulane - Stats Stuart Burks - 14 Pts (2-4 3pt), 2 Reb, 2 Ast Joe Higgins - 10 Pts (2-2 3pt), 1 Reb, 1 Ast	Team Stat Comparison UCF TU FG Made-Attempted 21-45 20-46 3P Made-Attempted 7-8 7-15 FT Made-Attempted 16-28 9-11 Rebounds 28 23 Assists 12 12 Steals 4 4 Blocks 6 3 Turnovers 4 5

[nolan887]

UCF vs ECU

KNIGHTS STEAMROLL PIRATES IN 44 POINT BLOWOUT

#25 UCF Knights 22-4 (11-3) vs ECU Pirates 15-12 (7-7)

UCF Arena

Orlando, FL

February 28, 2014

Orlando, FL - The Knights of UCF looked absolutely phenomenal in their blowout victory over ECU tonight. Gilbert Logie went off for his first big game with 18 points, all coming from three point land. He shot 6 for 9 from deep and simply could not be stopped. The Knights locked down on defense all day holding ECU to just 30 points on the night. Going into halftime the Pirates were shooting 15% from the floor and ended the night shooting 27% from the floor. With the starters on the bench for most of the game, the Knights' backups saw extended playing time. UCF dominated the entire game and came out on top in every statistical category imaginable.

"We killed it out there today," an excited Coach Nolan commented. "We did everything right and Logie was simply amazing. We've been shooting very well from deep the past few games and hope to keep that up so the opposition needs to account for the entire court, not just the paint. I am very proud of the way my guys came out and played for the entire forty minutes today after we checked out the last time we saw ECU. Were hoping for another big victory on senior night and hope to unleash Pearson on Southern Miss."

Next up for the Knights are the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. The Knights host Southern Miss for senior night in their last home game of the season. The Golden Eagles sit at 12-14 overall and 5-9 in conference play, tied for 10th in C-USA. Pearson Shannon, the Knights' only graduating senior will have his hands full with opposing senior power forward Neal Peterson who averages 19 points and 7 rebounds per game. UCF is currently tied for first place with Houston and will need a win or a Cougar loss to stay atop the conference.

East Carolina (15-12) at Central Florida (22-4)
February 28, 2015 1 2 F East Carolina 14 16 30 #25 Central Florida 39 35 74 Top Performers East Carolina - Stats Gilson Noel - 10 Pts, 2 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk Alfred Jedgic - 8 Reb, 1 Reb, 2 Ast, 1 Blk Central Florida - Stats Gilbert Logie - 18 Pts (6-9 3pt), 3 Reb, 1 Stl Nicholas Simmons - 12 Pts, 3 Reb, 5 Astl, 4 Stl	Team Stat Comparison ECU UCF FG Made-Attempted 11-40 26-43 3P Made-Attempted 2-11 8-12 FT Made-Attempted 6-6 14-18 Rebounds 13 26 Assists 9 16 Steals 2 9 Blocks 4 3 Turnovers 11 4

[nolan887]

UCF vs Southern Miss

KNIGHTS DISAPPOINT FANS WITH SENIOR NIGHT LOSS

UCF Knights 22-5 (11-4) vs Southern Miss Golden Eagles 13-15 (6-9)

UCF Arena

Orlando, FL

March 4, 2014

Orlando, FL - The UCF Knights came out flat on defense after their impressive performance earlier this week against ECU. The Golden Eagles of Southern Miss started off the game on a 20-4 run and would not give up the lead for the rest of the game. The Knights fought, scratched, and clawed their way back to within three points, but their defense again collapsed and dropped the game in the final minutes. "It was really dissapointing," Pearson Shannon commented. "I mean you go out on senior night and put on a good performance but come out with a loss... its just disheartening." Shannon is the only graduating senior this year for UCF and finished the game with a game high 32 points and 8 rebounds along with 1 steal and 2 blocks. The Knights were able to keep Neal Peterson under wraps, but SG Johnny Cesar went off and dropped 23 points, shooting 4-5 from deep. The backcourt defensive struggles have been well documented in Orlando, and the Knights hope to fix things up to close out the season.

"I've really got nothing to say," a disappointed Nolan said. "We came out flat, almost came back, but went flat again. There is nothing I can say that you guys don't know from watching the game... we just played piss poor and lost. Were lucky enough to still be in contention for the conference, but we have to win at Houston which is no easy feat."

Houston is UCF's last home game of the season. The game will be played in Houston and the winner of this game will be the winner of the regular season Conference USA. Houston is 21-9 overall and 12-3 in conference play this season. In their last game in Orlando, the Knights played great team basketball and held the Cougars to 17 second half points, winning by seventeen when the final buzzer sounded. UCF will have to shut down Corrigan and Goodman if they hope to come out on top again.

Southern Miss (13-14) at Central Florida (22-5)
March 4, 2015 1 2 F Southern Miss 42 42 84 Central Florida 36 42 78 Top Performers Southern Miss - Stats Johnny Cesar - 23 Pts (4-5 3pt), 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 1 Stl, 2 Blk Hensley Richard - 13 Pts, 4 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 32 Pts, 8 reb, 1 Stl, 2 Blk Michael Boyce - 9 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Ast, 3 Stl, 1 Blk	Team Stat Comparison USM UCF FG Made-Attempted 32-59 26-73 3P Made-Attempted 5-10 6-19 FT Made-Attempted 15-21 20-32 Rebounds 37 36 Assists 16 15 Steals 5 12 Blocks 6 3 Turnovers 15 5

[nolan887]

UCF @ Houston

KNIGHTS WIN CONFERENCE FOR 2ND STRAIGHT YEAR

UCF Knights 23-5 (12-4) at Houston Cougars 20-11 (11-5)
Hofheinz Pavilion
Houston, TX
March 7, 2014

Houston, TX - The UCF Knights have won the regular season Conference USA crown for the second straight year by beating the Houston Cougars in Texas tonight. The Cougars came out fired up for their last home game and a shot to win the conference and shot 52% from the floor and 60% from deep in the first half. The UCF defense was doing all it could, but Houston was making shots with two guys in their face like it was no big deal. The second half was another story as Houston went cold and allowed UCF to amass a big lead by the Knights going on a 16-2 run. The Cougars would play from behind for the rest of the game and result to fouling to try to extend the game, but eventually lose by ten points. Houston has three seniors on their team, one of which played in their senior night game, but he played great off the bench. SG Petroslav Schiffner shot the lights out going 6-9 from the floor and 4-6 from deep ending the game with a team high 17 points. Roberts, Cunningham, and Vldenov also scored double digits for the Cougars scoring 14, 12, and 12 points respectively. On the other side of the ball UCF's main contributors were big men Shannon and Boyce as usual with help from Cassler with 16 points, and Logie with 11 points (3-8 3pt).

"I can't believe we did it again!" exclaimed Coach Nolan. "With losses against Southern Methodist and Southern Miss I thought there was no way we could come in here and win today but that is just what we did. I respect the hell out of Houston and God knows they shot the lights out in the first half, but we brought it in the second half and they just couldn't keep up. The experts are still projecting us as a 5 seed, so hopefully we don't mess up too badly in the conference tournament!"

The Knights have a first round bye in the C-USA Tournament again this year. They will play the winner of Wednesday night's Tulsa vs UTEP match up. An interesting note is that UCF lost both of its games against UTEP this season, the only team to sweep the Knights under Coach Nolan. The C-USA tourney is held in Memphis again this year at the FedEx Forum and will be played from March 11 through March 14 where the tourney champion will be crowned and the automatic NCAA bid will be handed out.

Central Florida (23-5) at Houston (21-10)
March 7, 2015 1 2 F Central Florida 35 47 82 Houston 43 29 72 Top Performers Central Florida - Stats Pearson Shannon - 18 Pts, 10 Reb, 2 Stl Michael Boyce - 17 Pts, 5 Reb, 1 Ast, 1 Stl Houston - Stats Petroslav Schiffner - 17 Pts (4-6 3pt), 3 Ast Tom Roberts - 14 Pts, 2 Reb, 3 Ast, 2 Stl	Team Stat Comparison UCF UH FG Made-Attempted 30-56 26-51 3P Made-Attempted 4-16 8-18 FT Made-Attempted 18-21 12-15 Rebounds 22 29 Assists 16 16 Steals 12 5 Blocks 1 0 Turnovers 5 16