Knights, Tars face down conference

When the UCF men’s basketball team gets back from New Year’s celebrating, their non-conference schedule will be long gone. It’s time for serious business as they face the American Athletic Conference as a possible contender after years of struggles.

At East Carolina they’ll have a shot at an early tune-up. Unfortunately for the Knights, they’ll be facing a Pirates team that also looks to have improved since the last time they met each other. That would be at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn. for the first round of the AAC tournament last season, when the Knights lost to ECU in an excruciating 81-80 elimination game that didn’t see a single shot fall in the final three minutes of overtime.

That was the third time the Knights, who finished 12-18, lost to the Pirates in three games in the 2014-15 campaign.

But the last Knights team to leave the floor in March would be unrecognizable compared to the current Knights lineup. Forward Kasey Wilson, whose final shot of his career would have been a game-winner had it landed, graduated. Center Staphon Blair, who led the team in blocks that night, has seen little playing time from the bench this season. Point guard B.J. Taylor, who commanded the Knights on the floor and led in scoring in many games, is out indefinitely with a deep bone bruise in his foot. Brandon Goodwin, known for his late game heroics last season, transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University, which shocked the NCAA with a deep run in the 2013 NCAA tournament.

The only player still in the starting five for the Knights, Adonys Henriquez, frequently led the Knights in scoring last season but could be up and down in games. He plays alongside monster 7-foot 6-inch center Tacko Fall, who has proven a strong all-around player given his size. Chance McSpadden, a true freshman, also has helped in an all-around capacity. Shaheed Davis has added solid shooting and rebounding, while A.J. Davis just posted a double-double against FAU.

That lineup has translated into a nearly identical start as the last two UCF seasons; both strong starts before the team collapsed in conference play. The teams will be each other’s first conference opponents.

The teams have shared two opponents so far this season: Stetson and Florida Atlantic. Against Stetson, UCF won 94-85 in a game that Stetson didn’t lead for the final 16 minutes. The Pirates beat Stetson 93-73 just a few nights before. Against FAU the Knights dominated in a 75-61 win, but that paled to ECU’s 74-48 win that was already a blowout by halftime.

The Knights will have to try to notch their first AAC win in Greenville, traveling for a 6 p.m. Jan. 2 tipoff, televised on ESPN3.

Rollins

After getting a taste of Sunshine State Conference action and splitting it 1-1 with a narrow win over Nova Southeastern and a late loss to Eckerd that shattered their perfect season, the Tars will look to recover when they travel all the way to Miami Shores.

The Tars haven’t beaten Barry since at 75-71 squeaker on Feb. 22, 2014. They lost their last two meetings. Barry has jumped out to a strong start just like Rollins, including winning two 100-plus-point fracases in the past three weeks.

Rollins vs. Barry tips off at 4 p.m. Jan. 2 in Miami Shores.