(Photo by Victor Tan / New Day Review)
ORLANDO, Fla. – The UCF Knights are coming off their biggest win of the season. UCF (5-3) traveled to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, on Dec. 3 and earned a narrow, 65-62 win over the then-No. 24 Alabama Crimson Tide. Six days later, UCF will host Southern University (2-6). The Jaguars lost their first five games of the season but have since bounced back and won two of their last three games, including a double-digit, 92-69 win over Wiley College.
Here’s what to expect from the Jags when they visit CFE Arena on Saturday at 1 p.m.
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Southern Features Experienced Forward Jared Sam
The Jaguars feature 6-foot-9 senior Jared Sam as their offensive leader. Through the first seven games of Southern’s season, Sam has averaged team-highs in points per game (16.9), steals per game (1.1), rebounds per game (7.3) and minutes per game (31.6). No other player for the Jags come close to his points total, as Eddie Reese is second in scoring with just 7.9 points per game.
Sam also takes the most shot attempts for Southern, averaging 14.0 field-goal attempts per game. Reese is second with just over half that at 7.1 field-goal attempts per game.
Most of Sam’s work is done inside, as he has taken just one 3-pointer (and made it) this season. Sam is currently shooting a career-low 43.3 percent from inside the arc, as he averaged a combined 56.7 percent in three previous seasons; albeit, Sam is also taking significantly more shots this season, as his previous career-high in field-goal attempts per game was 7.5 last season.
A four-year veteran, Sam has been a perennial starter for the Jaguars since he first enrolled at Southern. In three previous seasons, Sam started 89 of his 101 appearances.
One of UCF’s strength is in its bigs, namely junior Tacko Fall. The 7-foot-6 center is having a relatively slow start to his third season as a Knight, averaging just 10.2 points per game, 6.0 rebounds per game and only 1.8 blocks per game. Fall’s nine-inch advantage combined with Sam’s relative lack of an inside presence (0.4 blocks per game), however, gives UCF the upper hand inside.
“He’s a very good player. Very good scorer around the low post, but he can also step out in the perimeter and knock down the shot,” Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins said after practice Friday. “He’s gonna be one of the best bigs that we faced all season, and it’s gonna be a challenge.”
Jaguars Hang with No. 1 Duke Before 17-point Loss
Southern drew the short straw early this season, having faced No. 1 Duke University for its fourth game of the year. Despite the apparent personnel mismatch, the Jaguars kept the game closer than fans and pundits alike expected. By halftime, the Blue Devils were leading by just 10 points, 42-32. Duke went on to out-score Southern by only seven points in the second half, en route to a 78-61 victory.
Sam was held to a season-low five points on 2-for-14 shooting. First-year Jag Jamar Sandifer led Southern in scoring with 14 points on 5-for-13 shooting, including 3-for-7 from 3-point range. Fellow first-year Southern player Torrey Mayo added 11 points on 4-for-6 shooting, including 2-for-2 from deep, off the bench.
“Southern’s a proud program. They’re gonna come in, and their players are definitely gonna compete,” Dawkins said. “And so we need to make sure we come out with the right mindset and with the right mindset ‘cause it’s gonna be a great game. You know, they’ve played a lot of really good teams already. They’ve played Duke… They’ve played [the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign] already. They played at [Marshall University]. They’ve played some teams that, you know, they’re very good on their home courts and talented programs, and they’ve been very competitive.”
Winners of 2 of Their Last 3, Jaguars Visit UCF with Momentum
The Jaguars enter Saturday’s matchup 2-1 over their last three games, having lost to the American Athletic Conference’s Tulane Green Wave 95-76 on Dec. 6.
Before losing to Tulane, Southern beat the Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks by three points, 69-66, on Nov. 22. Sam led the Jaguars with a game-high 27 points, as no other Southern player scored more than 8.
Sam followed his team-leading performance against the Skyhawks with another, posting a 24-point, 13-rebound double-double in the win over Wiley. He recorded another double-double—15 points and 10 rebounds—in the loss to Tulane.
“Well, we have to make sure we understand who they are,” Dawkins said. “You know, we need to know personnel. They have some very good shooters, and they have a low-post player who’s as good as any post player we’ll face, averaging almost 17, 18 points per game… We need to come prepared to play.”
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for an upcoming two-game home stretch, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
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