ORLANDO, Fla. – For the UCF Knights, the return of point guard B.J. Taylor could mark a turning point in their season.
Despite a respectable 12-6 record, including 3-3 in the American Athletic Conference, the Knights operate as one of the worst offensive teams in the nation. Of the 351 eligible programs, the Knights rank 343rd in points per game (63.2) and 329th in total assists (205).
Taylor, who led the team in points per game (17.4) and assists per game (3.5) last season, will presumably provide a much-needed offensive boost, but, as expected, the return to form will take time.
The redshirt junior made his first appearance in a defensive duel with the No. 12 Cincinnati Bearcats on Jan. 16 since fracturing his foot in the season-opener, posting just 6 points and an assist in a 49-38 loss. Though the Knights held Cincinnati to a season-low in points, UCF also had one of its worst scoring performances: The Knights shot 30 percent for a season-low 38 points.
“Give credit to [Cincinnati]. They played well; they have a good defensive system; they play hard, and they compete,” Taylor said after the loss. “But, on our end, we know things that we can improve on; we know the shots that we’re gonna get, and we gotta start making the shots fall…
“But I’m 100 percent confident offense will come. Just give it time, and our offense will get to where it needs to be… I’d just say give it time, and give a little more experience playing together, and the offense will come. Promise you.”
Taylor showed signs of his 2016-17 All-AAC Second Team self in his return against the Bearcats. Two of his buckets came by way of isolation, and-1 makes from inside the paint, as he finished 3-for-7 from the field.
Second-year Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins sees Taylor’s abilities to effectively score and distribute as benefits for a UCF offense that has a host of guards seeing significant minutes in black and gold for the first time.
Djordjije Mumin, who was placed on scholarship earlier this season, has found himself in a regular starting role in his final year; Chance McSpadden, Ceasar DeJesus, Dayon Griffin and Terrell Allen are all active, now, after sitting out the 2016-17 season. Together, they average 35.6 points per game on a combined 38.7 percent shooting.
“I anticipate our offensive production…being better with B.J. on the floor—not just because he’ll score the ball, but it’ll open up better opportunities for the players around him,” Dawkins said after the game against Cincinnati. “You know, he’ll have to command some attention. You know Tacko’s [Fall] gonna command attention, which means other guys will have opportunities for, you know, probably more open shots, more open opportunities to drive to the basket—things that will help our team.”
The Knights will have another opportunity to take a positive step with their offense on Saturday when they travel to face the USF Bulls. USF is the worst team in the AAC, as the Bulls are the only team in the American without a conference win.
Tipoff on ESPNU is at 6 p.m.
For more on the Knights, as they prepare for their rivals down I-4, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.
To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.
