ORLANDO, Fla. – The first time the UCF Knights and the UConn Huskies faced off, the outcome almost seemed in hand.

History proved to be too adverse for the Knights, as a middle-of-the-road UConn squad extended its all-time record against UCF to 11-1. The Huskies ultimately won 62-53 on Jan. 10, but Johnny Dawkins’ Knights squads have come as close as any UCF team to beating UConn in recent memory.

Narrowly losing 66-63 at home last year, the Knights (13-7, 4-4 in American Athletic Conference) now host UConn (11-10, 4-4 in AAC) in a pivotal conference matchup that will determine who moves above the .500 mark in AAC play and who moves below it.

Here’s what to expect in UCF’s matchup with UConn on Wednesday at 9 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

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Jalen Adams, Terry Larrier Still UConn’s Go-to Options

In the first go-around, guards Jalen Adams and Terry Larrier were identified as the Huskies’ go-to options. UConn’s win over UCF solidified that sentiment, as Adams and Larrier combined for 26 points, 13 each.

Adams shot 5-for-12 in a game-high 39 minutes, tallying 5 assists and 5 rebounds, too. Larrier shot similarly, finishing 5-for-11 in 34 minutes. Both players shot 2-for-2 from the free-throw line and 1-for-2 from 3-point range. Adams and Larrier lead the Huskies in field-goal attempts per game with 16.7 an 13.7, respectively.

The Huskies also have another productive guard in 6-foot-2 Christian Vital. He posted a game-high 18 points against UCF on 4-for-8 shooting, recording 7 rebounds and 4 steals in 37 minutes. Dating back to Nov. 29, 2017, Vital has scored double-digit points in 15-straight games.

“Jalen Adams is one of the best guards in the nation, to be quite frank,” Dawkins said before practice on Jan. 30. “… As well as Vital, who’s had had a terrific career, as well.

“So they have a really good backcourt, and, when you have a good backcourt, you have a chance to be successful when your guys are that talented… We have to make sure we play them accordingly, you know, and try to contain those guys; you’re not gonna stop ’em.”

UConn Beat UCF’s Top 5 Defense

Since Dawkins took over as head coach at the start of last season, the Knights have been one of the nation’s leaders in defense.

The Knights finished last season leading the nation in opposing field-goal percentage (36.5 percent) and were sixth in points per game allowed (62.8). This season, despite significant lineup changes, not much has changed: UCF is fifth in opposing field-goal percentage (38.1 percent) and third in points per game allowed (60.2), so far.

Though, UConn didn’t seem to mind a defense in the first Knights-Huskies meeting that also had 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall on the floor. UConn shot 43.2 percent from the field, including 20-for-21 from the free-throw line. The Knights average 14.3 opposing free-throw attempts per game.

UConn’s 62-point total is also two more than what UCF usually allows.

“Yeah, we need this win. When we went up there, it was a tough one for us,” redshirt sophomore guard Dayon Griffin said before practice on Jan. 30. “We just came out kinda stagnant  We didn’t expect to come out that kinda stagnant, but…tomorrow’s gonna be a good game for us.

“I know we’ll come out ready and energized and ready to get after these guys.”

Fall will be sidelined for the rest of the year, but the Knights will play UConn with starting point guard B.J. Taylor, who was still nursing a foot injury during the loss to the Huskies.

Memphis, Temple Blew Out UConn

The Huskies have bounced back to 4-4 in conference play after starting it 1-2. Though, two of their past three losses have been to two teams that UCF has beaten: the sixth-place Memphis Tigers and the 10th-place Temple Owls.

UCF, first, beat Memphis 65-56 on Jan. 3, and, four days later, the Knights defeated Temple 60-39.

Against UConn, the Tigers and the Owls fared significantly better in recent games. Two games after beating UCF, the Huskies lost to Memphis 73-49 on Jan. 16. UConn fell to Temple 85-57 for their most recent loss on Jan. 28.

“We typically don’t really look at those things because every game could be different. You never know what the team was going through in that game,” Griffin said. “Struggles could be coming in different ways, so we just try to focus on what we got gotta do to get this win.”

For more on the Knights, as they try to win their second game ever against the Huskies, follow Victor Tan on Twitter at @NDR_VictorTan.

To contact Victor, you can email him at vtan@newdayreview.com.