A string of wins heading deep into the holiday season carried the Knights men’s basketball team to a compellingly strong start to the 2011-12 season, but with conference play starting up, things are about to get serious.
The Knights have pulled off convincing wins so far, but they have been against teams that are relatively untested in the broad NCAA landscape. That’s not to discount their eye-opening win against Connecticut on Nov. 25 that shocked the college basketball world. The Huskies have ranked in the top 10 all season. A week before many teams go on their holiday break, the Huskies’ only blemish was that 68-63 nail-biter loss to the Knights.
After hosting the UCF Holiday Classic to end the year, the Knights will blast into their Conference USA schedule with eight straight league games to start 2012. That could set the tone for how they handle their postseason and exorcise some demons at the same time.
The Knights started last season ablaze with 14 straight wins before collapsing in C-USA play with an unnerving string of eight straight losses before they finally righted their season with a 58-57 win over Tulsa.
Their introduction to conference play this time around will be a baptism by fire for the Knights, who play the Tulane Green Wave as their first conference foe Wednesday, Jan. 4. The Green Wave had already stormed to a nearly undefeated season start in the first month of play, though they lack a difficult schedule.
The last time the Knights played Tulane, on Feb. 16 last season, they won a narrow 65-62 victory thanks to strong all-around play by the Knights, led in scoring by 18 points from Keith Clanton.
Clanton has again factored heavily into scoring this season, but he’s joined by the duo of the Jordan brothers, Marcus and Jeff, who have teamed up lately to bamboozle opponents near the net.
The Knights will also likely welcome team captain A.J. Rompza back to the court in that first game of conference play. Rompza was an energizing force last season, helping engineer inspiring comeback victories against difficult teams.
The action all kicks off at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, at the UCF Arena, with conference play continuing through the beginning of March.