The UCF men’s basketball team (9-5, 1-2) has dropped two of their past three games since starting American Athletic Conference play.

After starting the season 3-3, the Knights went on a 5-game winning streak against Division-2 opponents, but those days are over as they are set to play in conference games for the rest of the season. Three games into conference play, the Knights lost by more than 2o points to Louisville and UCONN, with a close 78-76 win against Temple.

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The Knights play at RutgersĀ (7-9, 1-2) on Wednesday night and are hoping to get a win before facing a daunting schedule of three currently ranked top 25 opponents in the four games following that.

Isaiah Sykes will play a crucial role in the success of the Knights upcoming games. With four straight games in double figures, the leading scorer for the Knights will have to play his best if UCF wants to pull off some upsets. The biggest thorn in Sykes’ side this season isĀ his free throw shooting, which is under 50% on his free throws on the season.

The Knights’ game against Rutgers will air on ESPNews.