In a follow up of the roundtable from several weeks ago, the KnightNews.com Sports Department has returned for the latest edition of the UCF Sports Roundtable- this time with a focus on the 18-7 UCF Basketball team, who is a bubble team for the Big Dance.
March Madness is right around the corner, and the big question is whether not the Knights will make the Dance for the first time since 2005.
Once again, KnightNews Sports Editor Allen Levin, Nick Wilke, Eric Py and Anthony Scalco go head-to-head in the fifth edition of the KnightNews.com Sports Roundtable.
Tell us who you think wins the debate by commenting, e-mailing us at athletics@knightnews.com, or Tweeting us @KnightNewsSport
1. With just five games to go, do you think the Knights make the Big Dance?
Allen Levin: I think the Knights current resume with wins over Connecticut, Memphis, Old Dominion and College of Charleston gives them enough credibility to make the Big Dance. However, being swept by 1st-place Southern Miss in a conference that isn’t considered a top-notch basketball league really hurts UCF.
I think UCF has shown great poise on the road and showed that they can compete with some of the best teams in the nation, but I still don’t think they receive enough attention to be considered a tournament team. In the end, it comes down to how good they do in the C-USA tournament. If they win out the regular season and make it far in the league tourney, I think they could sneak into the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2005. If they slip just once, I doubt they make it.
Nick Wilke: To be honest, no. I saw Joe Lunardi’s bracketology on ESPN yesterday and he only had two teams from the C-USA in the tournament. He didn’t say which teams, but I’m guessing it will be Southern miss and Memphis. I think the only way that UCF gets into the tourney is if they win the C-USA Championship and get the automatic bid. To win the tourney, which is in Memphis, they will have to go through Memphis and Southern Miss. UCF doesn’t have a good enough record with their strength of schedule to get in.
Eric Py: While the loss to Southern Miss makes the Knights path to the Big Dance more of an uphill battle, the Knights will win out and earn an at large bid to the March Madness Tournament. As it stands, the Knights have an RPI rank of 57. If they can pull out a quality win at Memphis and win the surrounding games they are expected to win, there is almost no question that their resume will qualify them for the 68 team dance. At this point in the season, the equation is simple, ‘win and you’re in.’
Anthony Scalco: If they win out and have a strong showing in the C-USA Tournament, I think they will. Their RPI has hovered around 65-70 which is okay, but with a weak non-conference schedule and some bad road losses (Tulsa, Lousisiana-Lafayette) and not splitting against first place Southern Miss definitely hurt their chances for an at-large bid. I think that an NIT bid is more realistic at this point, though I have seen weirder.
2. Who is the Knights MVP at this point in the season?
AL: I think the obvious choice is Isaiah Sykes. Although Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan are the Knights top players, UCF’s season would be nowhere near as successful as it’s been without the budding sophomore forward.
Sykes has tripled his scoring average and doubled his rebounding average from last season. He also has 16 double-digit scoring games this year, compared to only two last year. His rebounding is what’s really made the difference though, especially on the offensive side. He’s been crucial in some big UCF victories this year and will be play an even bigger role down the stretch and in the C-USA tournament.
NW: Sykes. Without his improvement in the offseason, UCF would not be in this position right now. He contributes so much to this team. Hustle, athleticism and aggressiveness make up for his lack of shooting ability. He has been a matchup problem for other teams. Next season, we will look for him to improve his shot.
EP: Even though Marcus Jordan leads the team in PPG with 15.3 and has been an asset to the team, the conversation for MVP thus far comes down to Keith Clanton and Isaiah Sykes. While Clanton is the big man who can do it all, shown by holding the teams second best three-point percentage at 34.1% and averaging nearly nine rebounds per game, the MVP has to go to Isaiah Sykes.
Sykes has done nothing but improve at an alarming rate since the beginning of the season in nearly every aspect of his game. One of three players (Jordan, Clanton, and Sykes) to register over 300 points this season, Sykes has done so with the teams’ best field goal percentage at 54.6%. He is only four offensive rebounds shy of sharing the team lead with Clanton, and is the Knights go-to, lock-down defender.
Where the stats do not tell the whole story, the proof lies in the intangibles Sykes displays on a nightly basis. Sykes brings a level of intensity and unrelenting effort to the table that has a drastic effect on how well the Knights play. His propensity to go 100% at all times leads to big plays that fire up the Knights, and his drive rubs off on the players around him. When Sykes checks out of a game, even for a moment, it’s hard to not feel like something is missing.
AS: Swag Daddy. Isaiah Sykes’ numbers have quadrupled this season and have propelled the Knights into C-USA contenders. You never have to run plays for him and he’s one of the best offensive rebounders in the conference. He has learned how to dribble as an off guard and kept UCF afloat during the tough A.J. Rompza suspension. His jump shot has improved as well, and his development is key as the program progresses.
3. How do you think the Knights will fare in the C-USA Tournament? What C-USA team is their biggest threat?
AL: In the last three years, the farthest that the Knights have advanced in the C-USA Tournament is the second round. But, in the last three years, the Knights haven’t been as all-around talented or deep as they are this season. I think they have a legitimate shot of making the championship round of the tournament, either against Southern Miss or Memphis. I think the location of the tourney, Memphis, will be UCF’s downfall as the Tigers will be heavily favored playing on their home court.
UCF should finish with a top four seed, which will give them a bye in the first round. I think a matchup with Marshall in the second round could be troublesome, but I think the Knights will do a lot better than they’ve done in the past.
NW: I can see the Knights making it to the championship game, but not winning it. UCF will have to beat Southern Miss and Memphis with only a few days to prepare for each of them because the tournament is condensed into one week. The biggest threat will be Memphis because the tournament in in Memphis and they will have somewhat of a home-court advantage.
EP: The Knights have shown that they can play with anybody this season. The fact that they tend to play to the level of their competition is their gift and their curse. This attribute makes any team they play dangerous but as long as they stick to their game, they should fare very well in C-USA tournament. Memphis, Southern Miss, and Marshall are all teams that have given the Knights trouble, but chances favor the Knights would face Marshall earlier than the other two teams.
A grudge match between UCF and Marshall in the tourney would be an explosive game to settle the season split at one a piece, and there is little doubt that Marshall would love to personally knock UCF out and spoil a possible March Madness trip.
AS: Since I have been here, we have yet to win a game in the tournament. The Knights will most likely finish with a bye in the first round. Besides the top four contenders I look at a UAB squad as a potential problem. The Blazers knocked off Southern Miss earlier in the season and Marshall also is one of the best rebounding teams in the country, which will always keep them in games. I don’t expect them to win the whole thing but a potential win or two could propel them into the Big Dance.
4. Give one word that describes Isaiah Sykes improvement this year from last year?
AL: Needed
NW: Tremendous
EP: Foreshadowing
AS: Rhythm
