ORLANDO, Fla – The UCF Knights (11-3) won 75-74 in a nail-biter against the Colorado Buffaloes (9-5) Wednesday night behind a strong 22 point night from Jordan Ivy-Curry. Keyshawn Hall added 18 points and had a game-sealing block for the Knights, making them 2-1 in conference play.
UCF’s defense is improving
The defense from the Knights has been up and down throughout the season, but last game against the Jayhawks was a new low, allowing 62 paint points. UCF coach Johnny Dawkins spoke at length about the lack of defensive effort after the loss to Kansas, saying, “We hang our hat defensively. That’s not who we are or who we want to be.”
UCF showed their defensive presence again against Colorado, as they held them to 10 less shot attempts and forced 22 turnovers, while also only allowing 28 paint points. They were also able to pull out the win despite not recording a field goal in the last five minutes, with the main reason being their defensive pressure. Dawkins praised his team after the win saying, “Your character is revealed when things aren’t going well. I’m very proud of the way they responded based on how we performed the other night.”
“They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Colorado coach Tad Boyle said.
Moustapha Thiam could be a star defensive center in the Big XII
UCF’s true freshman center Moustapha Thiam has had a solid start for the Knights during his first season. Hailing from Dakar, Senegal, the center is from the same city as Tacko Fall, showing shades of the team legend’s game in his own. He has averaged 2.5 blocks a game, good for 11th in the nation and second in the Big XII behind Arizona State’s Jayden Quaintance. If the season ended today, Thiam’s blocks per game would rank fourth in UCF history behind Fall and John Friday.
His ability to score inside with his smooth hookshot and hit the occasional three ball at only 18 years old is what makes him such an intriguing piece for this Knights team. A top 10 center in the class, Thiam has shown his potential during the first 14 games for the Knights. Dawkins has spoken at length about Thiam, saying, “You’ve seen snapshots, I get to see him every day in practice, and he’s just scratching the surface. The sky’s the limit for his talent, and he has a chance to be an amazing player.”
In the contest against Colorado, Thiam had six points and three blocks. His third block was an emphatic one, blocking RJ Smith’s layup, getting the Knightmare crowd roaring.
The only downside in his game is his tendency to get into foul trouble early, averaging 3.2 personal fouls a game, the most on the team by an entire foul a game. If he cleans this up, he could be a real threat for the Knights.
Buffaloes still seeking leader after losing stars
The Buffaloes shocked the Florida Gators last season in the NCAA tournament, but the team that upset them is no more. Every starter for Colorado, including current Orlando Magic forward Tristan da Silva, left the team in the offseason. This left only guard Julian Hammond III and forward Bangot Dak as contributors from last year on this year’s current roster.
With these growing pains, the Buffaloes rank as the third worst offense and the fourth worst defense in the Big XII, a far cry from their third best offense and defense in the PAC-12 last season. The skill gap from PAC-12 and Big XII play is sizable, and this squad needs more time to gel with each other to become a cohesive unit. However, with their top four scorers all being seniors or graduate students, it will be hard to get another tournament bid this season.
Senior Hammond III, a Denver native, and Washington State transfer Andrej Jakimovski have been the lone bright spots for the squad, and this stayed true on Wednesday night. Hammond III scored a game-high 26 points, while Jakimovski scored 16, going 4/5 from three.
However, as a team, the Buffaloes had 22 turnovers and allowed 24 points off of them, being the key to the loss. Despite shooting 52% from the field and holding the Knights to 39% shooting, Colorado was unable to get the important win on the road.
“When we got shots, we were pretty good,” Boyle said. “We held them to 39% and we out-rebounded them by five. That’s just the way it goes. Tough tough loss, because that was a winnable game.”
Jordan Ivy-Curry’s role has been unlocked
The Knights’ fifth-year guard has started to put together a great final season in college basketball in Orlando. Transferring from UTSA in the offseason, his above-average three point shooting has been a boost for a guard-focused team, ranking behind only Darius Johnson for total threes. Ivy-Curry, who set his career high in points last season against the FAU Owls, has averaged 14.8 points, second once again to only Johnson.
Against Colorado, Ivy-Curry showed his ability to be a true versatile guard, scoring 22 points while also grabbing six boards and assisting on four shots. He added three steals on defense, being the spark plug throughout the game whenever a shot was needed.
“He came in on attack mode,” Dawkins said. “He was aggressive and that’s what we need him to be. “He can spark you, it can be two, it could be 10. He can get it going really fast and I thought he did that for us.”
UCF crowd involved in the game
The Knightmare crowd was rocking on Wednesday after witnessing the worst loss at home in their history. When shooting in their direction, the Buffaloes missed three free throws. This aspect played a crucial part in the Knights winning, as Colorado had to shoot through the noise in the second half.
“The crowd is important to us,” Thiam said. “They hype us up, and I appreciate that.”
“I want to say thank you to their loyalty,” Ivy-Curry said. “I give a big shout out to them.”
Other notes:
- Jaylin Sellers missed the game due to unknown reasons. He has played the last three games and started against Kansas.
- The Knights took 10 more shots than the Buffalos and made two less.
- UCF has won 10 games at home this season.
- Ivy-Curry played a game-high 37 minutes.
- Colorado starts conference play 0-3.
Next Up:
The Knights look forward to the start of a two-game road trip as they face the Arizona Wildcats (9-5) in Tucson on Saturday. This marks the first matchup between these men’s basketball teams.
“I haven’t seen them play yet,” Dawkins said. “I know they’re well coached, I know they’re a storied program. I know they’ll be well prepared and we have to do the same.”
Tip-off against the Wildcats is at 10:00 PM on Saturday.