The UCF Men’s Basketball team is going to the Final Four. It might not be the NCAA Tournament, but a NCAA postseason nonetheless.

UCF guard Marcus Jordan (5) going for a lay up in round 2 of the CBI tournament at UCF Arena in Orlando, FL on March 21, 2011. UCF defeated Rhode Island 66-54.
With a 66-54 victory over Rhode Island Monday night at the UCF Arena, the Knights (21-11) have advanced to the College Basketball Invitational Final Four.

The Knights used a big second half to take down Rhode Island in one of their most complete performances of the season and pushed its nonconference record to a perfect 15-0 this season.

Keith Clanton had 16 points and nine rebounds to pace UCF, who has now won seven out of their last 10 games.

“I feel like we’re just playing with energy and that is back to how we were playing in December when we went on a 14-game winning streak,” Clanton said. “We’re just playing a lot better.”

Although the Knights trailed 30-27 at the half, they came out in the second half firing, starting off to an 18-5 run that gave them some separation with a 10-point lead. UCF shot 17-for-25 in the final half, after shooting 30.8 percent in the first half.

UCF guard A.J. Rompza (3) in round 2 of the CBI tournament at UCF Arena in Orlando, FL on March 21, 2011. UCF defeated Rhode Island 66-54.
UCF has been playing with excellent poise in recent games, especially in the final 20 minutes of play. They outscored Rhode Island 39-24 in the second half and stepped up their defense, limiting the Rams to 39.1 percent shooting from the field.

Marcus Jordan had a rather quiet game after his 18-point performance in the Knights opening round win over St. Bonaventure last week. The sophomore was limited to a season-low four points and shot two-of-11 from the field in the game.

His teammates picked up the slack though. Senior A.J. Tyler posted 11 points, while Tom Herzog continued his solid play with 10 points, two rebounds and a block. A.J. Rompza, celebrating his birthday, chipped in with seven points, five boards and three assists.

It was a stellar turnaround in the second half after horrendous shooting in the first half, where UCF missed 13-of-15 shots from the three-point line.

UCF center Tom Herzog (41) slamming the ball in round 2 of the CBI tournament at UCF Arena in Orlando, FL on March 21, 2011. UCF defeated Rhode Island 66-54.
“We want to keep it going as long as we can because we’re having fun right now,” said Rompza in a press release. “We’re jelling, we’re having fun and just playing basketball and that’s what is making us win.”

The Rams, who made it to the semifinals of the NIT last season, were led by Delroy James’ 18 points and eight boards. No other Rhode Island player scored in double figures.

But, the Knights furious second half really and aggressive defense propelled them to the victory as they were evidently the hungrier team in this contest.

UCF will look to advance to the CBI Finals on Wednesday.

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