UCF men’s basketball team will be facing off against fellow in-state opponent Florida State in the 2021 Orange Bowl Classic.
The battle between the in-state rivals is set for Dec. 18, the Capital One Orange Bowl account tweeted.
This will be the first of the two matchups that will take place at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. The other matchup will be between the University of South Florida and the University of Florida.
This will be UCF’s first time competing in the event since the Knights defeated the University of Miami by a score of 84-78 in 2010.
This time, UCF will look to defeat FSU for the second consecutive season, as the Knights upset the Seminoles — who were ranked No. 15 in the nation — on their own floor by a score of 86-74 last season. With this win, UCF snapped Florida State’s 27-game home winning streak.
UCF’s roster will look slightly different in this upcoming matchup than it did in last year’s, as the Knights will have some new faces.
UCF’s 2021-22 additions include its 2021 recruit class of Ed’Xavior Rhodes, Tyem Freeman, and three-star recruits P.J. Edwards and Darius Johnson. In addition, the Knights recently picked up a commitment from UNLV transfer Cheikh Mbacke Diong, a 6-foot-11 forward, who averaged 8.9 points and 7.4 rebounds per contest last season.
The status of freshman forward Isaiah Adams is still in question, as the Knights’ 2020 standout declared for the 2021 NBA Draft this offseason, but maintained his college eligibility when doing so.
The freshman averaged 9.9 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest for the Knights last season. Adams’ impressive freshman campaign earned him the honor of being named to the AAC’s All-Freshman team.
UCF will look to start next season off strong by putting its new 2021-22 squad on full display against the Seminoles.
