UCF Knights look to break losing streak on the court

After starting the season with seven wins in their first eight games, UCF’s men’s basketball team has hit the skids with three straight losses in the last week and a half.

None of those losses have been blowouts for the Knights (5-4), who stayed within 13 points in all three games.

But the close games were little consolation for the Knights, who nonetheless lost to three straight teams that lacked winning records at the time.

Their loss to the University of Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 11 may have been the most galling, as the Flames had a 2-7 record going into the game, and were actually led by the Knights in the first half of the game. A 14-point score reversal would fell the Knights late. A shooting percentage that dropped from 50 percent to 38.5 percent between periods helped drop the Knights, who were led by B.J. Taylor with 13 points. The Flames shot the inverse, getting gradually better throughout the game en route to the win as UCF collapsed.

The Knights’ 54-41 home loss to a Florida Atlantic team on Dec. 13 exacerbated the streak and pointed to possible poor conditioning by UCF. They would again see their shooting percentage plummet in the second half, this time falling from 40 percent to a season-low 16.1 percent. A Shaq-worthy 33.3 percent free-throw percentage added insult to injury. Again, UCF’s defense suffered late, with their opponent’s shooting only getting better as the game went on, the Owls hitting 50 percent of their three pointers in the second half. Taylor again led the Knights in scoring, with 17 points.

Now facing the worst losing streak they’ve seen since last season, the Knights are set to take on the remainder of a four-game home stand starting with a team fleeing an early Detroit winter.

Hailing from the little-known Horizon League, the University of Detroit Titans entered the week at 6-4, which is near the top of their conference, well above the Horizon League’s worst team, the University of Illinois-Chicago, which beat the Knights just a week ago.

But that obscure pedigree hasn’t stopped the Titans from stepping onto the court with big teams. They’ve played two ranked teams this season and lost by just nine points in each game, including a 77-68 loss to No. 11 Wichita State. The Knights haven’t taken on a ranked team this season, and likely won’t at all unless UConn, Cincinnati or Memphis improves by conference play time in January.

The Knights tipped off against the Titans at press time on Dec. 17 at CFE Arena. Coming up Dec. 22, the Knights face Southeastern Louisiana at 7 p.m. at home.

The SLU Lions are 2-7 on the season, with an ambitious early-season schedule including a pair of ranked teams. They dropped a 76-57 pummeling to No. 9 Gonzaga on Dec. 2, then a nail-biter loss to Southeast Missouri State 63-59.

Rollins

The Rollins’ women’s basketball team is 7-1 after narrowly falling in the Rollins Thanksgiving Tournament championship game to Lewis. They bounced back with a 69-52 thrashing of Lynn on Dec. 4, and tipped off in the Rollins Invitational Tournament Dec. 15.

The men’s team has struggled early, with a 4-4 record thanks to four losses in their last six games. They were handed an 80-64 loss Dec. 4. They’re in Las Vegas this week for the Dixie State Las Vegas Challenge, then taking off for the holiday break.