The first half was bad. The second half was worse. That’s just how the night went for the UCF men’s basketball team, who quite simply could never find its rhythm in a lopsided 84-55 blowout defeat to Conference-USA leading Memphis on the team’s Senior Night at the FedExForum Tuesday night.
It was an all-around frustrating game for the Knights (20-9, 9-6 C-USA), who were outplayed and overmatched against a bigger and longer Tigers (22-8, 12-3 C-USA) team. UCF couldn’t get anything going offensively, posting just 18 points in the first half on 30 percent shooting that continued into the second half.
After the Knights beat the Tigers for the first time in school history back on Jan. 18 in Orlando, which saw UCF fans storming the court, Memphis thoroughly returned the favor with a statement-minded whooping to ensure their would be no upset on the final home game for the Tigers senior players.
Despite playing poorly, the Knights were still in the game at halftime, down just 15 points after showcasing some solid defense. However, the Knights struggled to get consistent offensive production from anyone in the lineup, with Keith Clanton’s seven points leading the team at the half.
Clanton wouldn’t score again in the game, finishing with seven points and five rebounds, while fouling out late in the contest in a rather forgettable game for the junior.
But, it was the second half that went from bad to demoralizing. The Tigers showcased their advantage in size by pounding their way inside for points in the paint, while using suffocating defense to hamper the UCF offense and limit its opportunities all night long.
Memphis held a 44-24 advantage in points in the paint, and got four players in double figures to overwhelm the Knights.
“We are very disappointed with our effort tonight,” UCF head coach Donnie Jones said in a press release from UCFAthletics.com. “Memphis shot the ball incredibly well and played like a Memphis team typically does at home.”
The Tigers were led by C-USA Player of the Year Candidate Will Barton’s 18 points and 11 rebounds, while also getting 15 points, seven rebounds and four steals from senior Wesley Witherspoon and 14 points from Tarik Black. Chris Crawford chipped in 11 points off the bench.
Memphis shot a scorching 59 percent from the field in the game, including seven-for-10 shooting from Barton.
The Tigers overwhelmed the Knights in almost every facet of the game. In addition to the hot shooting, Memphis held the rebound edge 32-23, forced 18 UCF turnovers, and limited them 39 percent shooting from the floor. The Knights shot an abysmal two-of-14 from beyond the arc.
The Tigers size advantage noticeably bothered the UCF offense and forced them into low-percentage shots and turnovers.
The lone bright spot for UCF was Isaiah Sykes, who was the only Knights player in double figures with 13 points. He also provided a highlight-worthy play, throwing down a thunderous one-handed dunk in middle of the second half, but the Knights were already down big at that point.
Junior Marcus Jordan struggled once again, contributing only three points on one-of-six shooting on the night. Josh Crittle was the only other Knight to get close to double digits with eight points.
The Knights actually got to the line quite often in the game, as they were sent to the line 26 times compared to the Tigers’ 15. However, UCF’s free throw woes continued as they converted only 15 of them.
It was just a frustrating evening for the Knights, who had hoped to overcome their road woes and get a quality win away from Orlando. However, the Tigers executed better than UCF and sent them home with plenty to think about.
The Knights will have to put this one behind them quickly and start focusing on UAB, who they host this Saturday in the Knights regular season finale. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena.
