2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team

The 2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team represents the University of Central Florida during the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Knights are members of the American Athletic Conference. The Knights, in the program's 52nd season of basketball, are led by fifth-year head coach Johnny Dawkins and play their home games at the Addition Financial Arena on the university's main campus in Orlando, Florida. They finished the season 11-12, 8-10 in AAC Play to finish in 6th place. They defeated East Carolina in the first round of the AAC tournament before losing in the quarterfinals to Memphis.

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball
Conference	American Athletic Conference
Record	11-12 (8–10 AAC)
Head coach	Johnny Dawkins (5th season)
Assistant coaches	Kevin Norris (5th season) Vince Taylor (4th season) Robbie Laing (5th season)
Home arena	Addition Financial Arena
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 American Athletic Conference men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Wichita State	11	–	2		.846			16	–	6		.727
No. 6 Houston †	14	–	3		.824			28	–	4		.875
Memphis	11	–	4		.733			20	–	8		.714
SMU	7	–	4		.636			11	–	6		.647
Cincinnati	8	–	6		.571			12	–	11		.522
UCF	8	–	10		.444			11	–	12		.478
Tulsa	7	–	9		.438			11	–	12		.478
South Florida	4	–	10		.286			9	–	13		.409
Temple	4	–	10		.286			5	–	11		.313
Tulane	4	–	12		.250			10	–	13		.435
East Carolina	2	–	10		.167			8	–	11		.421
† 2021 AAC tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Knights finished the 2019–20 season 16–14 overall and 7–11 in AAC play to finish in eighth place. They entered as the No. 8 seed in the AAC tournament, which was ultimately cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Yuat Alok	0	F	6'11"	225	Junior	Auckland, New Zealand	Transferred to Southern Utah (mid-season)^[1]
Matt Milon	2	G	6'5"	210	Graduate Student	Oviedo, FL	Completed college eligibility^[a]
Ceasar DeJesus	4	G	6'2"	190	RS Junior	Jersey City, NJ	Play professionally^[2]
Dazon Ingram	12	G	6'6"	205	Graduate Student	Theodore, AL	Completed college eligibility^[a]
Frank Bertz	20	G	6'5"	180	Senior	Hesperia, CA	Graduated
Collin Smith	35	F	6'11"	240	Redshirt Junior	Jacksonville, FL	Left the team due to health issues

1. Milon and Ingram were both graduate transfers in the 2019–20 season, with Milon having graduated from William & Mary and Ingram from Alabama.

Incoming transfers

Name	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Darius Perry	G	6'2"	185	Senior	Marietta, GA	Transferred from Louisville after graduating. Will have one year of eligibility beginning immediately.^[3]
C. J. Walker	F	6'8"	205	Sophomore	Sanford, FA	Transferred from Oregon. Walker was granted a waiver for immediate eligibility.^[4] Will have three years of remaining eligibility.^[5]

2020 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jamille Reynolds PF	Saint Petersburg, FL	Lakewood Senior High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Aug 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Isaiah Adams SF	Jacksonville, FL	Paxon School for Advanced Studies	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Sep 2, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 16, 2020.

Preseason

AAC preseason media poll

On October 28, The American released the preseason Poll and other preseason awards^[6]

Coaches Poll
Predicted finish	Team	Votes (1st place)
1	Houston	99 (2)
2	Memphis	90 (2)
3	SMU	80
4	Cincinnati	77
5	South Florida	61
6	Tulsa	50
7	Wichita State	44
8	UCF	37
9	East Carolina	34
10	Temple	18
11	Tulane	15

Roster

2020–21 UCF Knights men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 0 Josh Kaplan (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Jr John F. Kennedy High School Merrick, New York G 1 Tony Johnson Jr. 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So The Skill Factory Eufaula, Alabama G 2 Darius Perry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Louisville Marietta, Georgia F 3 Isaiah Adams 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Paxon School for Advanced Studies Jacksonville, Florida F 4 Jamille Reynolds 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Fr Lakewood Senior High School St. Petersburg, Florida C 5 Avery Diggs 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr SW Mississippi CC Brandon, Florida G 10 Levy Renaud (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr NSU University School Fort Lauderdale, Florida G 11 Xavier Grant (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr American Heritage School Fort Lauderdale, Florida G 13 Brandon Mahan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Sr Texas A&M Birmingham, Alabama G 15 Isaac Ward 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Tampa Preparatory School Tampa, Florida F 20 Sean Mobley 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Jr VCU Orlando, Florida F 21 C. J. Walker 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Oregon Sanford, Florida G 22 Darin Green Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Wharton High School Charlotte, North Carolina G 24 Dre Fuller Jr. 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 215 lb (98 kg) RS So Admiral Farragut Academy Fayetteville, North Carolina F 25 Ryan Anders (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Wharton High School Tampa, Florida C 33 Moses Bol 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 230 lb (104 kg) RS Jr Colby CC Wau, South Sudan	Head coach Johnny Dawkins (Duke) Assistant coach(es) Kevin Norris (Miami (FL)) Vince Taylor (Duke) Robbie Laing (Troy) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster Last update: July 27, 2020

Schedule and results

UCF will start a series with Michigan beginning this season in Ann Arbor, Michigan.^[7]

COVID-19 impact

Main article: Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sports

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Knights' schedule is subject to change, including the cancellation or postponement of individual games, the cancellation of the entire season, or games played either with minimal fans or without fans in attendance and just essential personnel.

• The game vs. Oklahoma scheduled for November 28 was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.^[8]
• The game @ Tulsa rescheduled for March 2 was moved to Orlando.^[9]
• The game vs. Tulsa originally scheduled for February 6 was moved to Tulsa.^[10]

Schedule

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Regular season
November 30, 2020* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Auburn	W 63–55	1–0	13 – Fuller Jr.	8 – Walker	5 – Fuller Jr.	Addition Financial Arena (1,944) Orlando, FL
December 6, 2020* 4:00 p.m., BTN		at Michigan	L 58–80	1–1	21 – Mahan	5 – Mahan	3 – Fuller Jr.	Crisler Center  Ann Arbor, MI
December 19, 2020* 9:00 p.m., ACCN		at No. 15 Florida State	W 86–74	2–1	32 – Mahan	8 – Adams	4 – Fuller Jr.	Donald L. Tucker Center (2,576) Tallahassee, FL
December 22, 2020 4:00 p.m., ESPN+		Cincinnati	W 75–70	3–1 (1–0)	25 – Mahan	10 – Mahan	3 – Fuller Jr.	Addition Financial Arena  Orlando, FL
December 26, 2020 1:00 p.m., ABC		No. 6 Houston Previously scheduled for Dec. 15	L 54–63	3–2 (1–1)	13 – Tied	10 – Fuller Jr.	2 – Tied	Addition Financial Arena (1,476) Orlando, FL
January 2, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		at South Florida War on I-4	L 61–68	3–3 (1–2)	23 – Perry	8 – Fuller Jr.	6 – Perry	Yuengling Center (1,016) Tampa, FL
January 14, 2021 12:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Temple	L 55–62	3–4 (1–3)	17 – Green Jr.	10 – Fuller Jr.	7 – Mahan	Liacouras Center  Philadelphia, PA
January 17, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPNU		at No. 11 Houston	L 58–75	3–5 (1–4)	14 – Reynolds	10 – Adams	2 – Tied	Fertitta Center (1,859) Houston, TX
January 23, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPNU		SMU	L 65–78	3–6 (1–5)	14 – Perry	5 – Tied	7 – Perry	Addition Financial Arena (1,394) Orlando, FL
January 27, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		East Carolina	W 71–64	4–6 (2–5)	18 – Green Jr.	6 – Tied	3 – Tied	Addition Financial Arena (1,407) Orlando, FL
January 30, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Wichita State	L 88–93 ^OT	4–7 (2–6)	17 – Tied	8 – Reynolds	4 – Adams	Charles Koch Arena (2,100) Wichita, KS
February 1, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Memphis Previously scheduled for Jan. 5	L 69–96	4–8 (2–7)	15 – Mahan	6 – Mahan	4 – Perry	FedEx Forum (2,106) Memphis, TN
February 3, 2021 8:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Memphis	L 61–75	4–9 (2–8)	18 – Perry	7 – Tied	5 – Mahan	FedEx Forum (2,284) Memphis, TN
February 6, 2021 6:00 p.m., ESPN2		at Tulsa	W 65–58	5–9 (3–8)	18 – Perry	4 – Fuller Jr.	3 – Mobley	Reynolds Center  Tulsa, OK
February 10, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Wichita State	L 60–61	5–10 (3–9)	27 – Perry	6 – Fuller Jr.	2 – Tied	Addition Financial Arena (1,385) Orlando, FL
February 12, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPN+		Tulane Previously scheduled for Dec. 30	L 49–53	6–10 (4–9)	18 – Green Jr.	8 – Adams	5 – Perry	Addition Financial Arena (1,420) Orlando, FL
February 14, 2021 1:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Cincinnati	L 68–69	6–11 (4–10)	21 – Mahan	10 – Walker	4 – Perry	Fifth Third Arena (300) Cincinnati, OH
February 17, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		South Florida War on I-4	W 81–65	7–11 (5–10)	18 – Walker	9 – Walker	4 – Perry	Addition Financial Arena (1,764) Orlando, FL
February 20, 2021 2:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Tulane	W 84–81	8–11 (6–10)	26 – Adams	6 – Walker	7 – Perry	Devlin Fieldhouse  New Orleans, LA
February 23, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPNU		at SMU	Postponed due to COVID-19 issues^[11]					Moody Coliseum  University Park, TX
February 27, 2021 4:00 p.m., ESPNU		Temple	Cancelled due to COVID-19 issues^[12]					Addition Financial Arena  Orlando, FL
March 2, 2021 7:00 pm, ESPNU		Tulsa Previously scheduled for Jan. 9	W 73–69	9–11 (7–10)	19 – Adams	5 – Tied	3 – Tied	Addition Financial Arena (1,309) Orlando, FL
March 4, 2021 9:00 p.m., ESPNU		at East Carolina	W 64–60	10–11 (8–10)	15 – Adams	11 – Perry	5 – Perry	Williams Arena (424) Greenville, NC
American Athletic Conference tournament
March 11, 2021 7:00 p.m., ESPN2	(6)	vs. (11) East Carolina First Round	W 72–62	11–11	15 – Perry	7 – Fuller Jr.	4 – Fuller Jr.	Dickies Arena  Fort Worth, TX
March 12, 2021 10:00 p.m., ESPNU	(6)	vs. (3) Memphis Quarterfinals	L 62–70	11–12	15 – Perry	11 – Fuller Jr.	5 – Perry	Dickies Arena (826) Fort Worth, TX
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time.

Awards and honors

American Athletic Conference honors

All-AAC Third Team

• Brandon Mahan
• Darius Perry

All-AAC Freshman Team

• Isaiah Adams

Source^[13]

References

1. Lester, Bryson. "Thunderbirds Add Top-Tier Transfer Yuat Alok". suutbirds.com. Retrieved April 8, 2020.
2. Murphy, Brian (March 18, 2020). "Ceasar DeJesus Leaving UCF, Planning to Go Pro". blackandgoldbanneret.com. SB Nation. Retrieved April 16, 2020.
3. Evans, Corey [@coreyevans_10] (April 20, 2020). "Louisville grad-transfer Darius Perry just committed to UCF, his father tells RivalsPortal" (Tweet). Retrieved April 20, 2020 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. @JonRothstein (November 23, 2020). "Source: UCF's CJ Walker has received a waiver from the NCAA and is eligible for the 20-21 season. Transfer from Oregon" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
5. Gershon, Josh (July 6, 2020). "Former five-star Oregon transfer CJ Walker commits to UCF". 247Sports. Retrieved July 7, 2020.
6. "Houston Tabbed as 2020-21 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Favorite". theAmerican.org. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
7. "UCF Announces Home-And-Home With Michigan". ucfknights.com. UCF Athletics. July 16, 2020. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
8. "UCF versus Memphis basketball game postponed due to COVID-19". orlandosentinel.com. January 5, 2021.
9. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
10. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. January 27, 2021.
11. "The American Announces Men's Basketball Schedule Changes". theamerican.org. February 18, 2021.
12. "Saturday's Temple-UCF Men's Basketball Game Cancelled". theamerican.org. February 27, 2021.
13. "American Athletic Conference Announces Men's Basketball Honors". theamerican.org. March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.