The UCF Knights are new kids on the block in the Big 12, a league known for its growing basketball prowess. Coach Johnny Dawkins and his players understand the transition from the American Athletic Conference to one of the nation's premier leagues will not be easy, especially after losing five of the team's top six scorers from last season, including NBA Top 10 draft pick Taylor Hendricks. The Knights went 19-15 in their final season in the AAC and have not appeared in the NCAA Tournament since 2019.
Big 12 newcomer UCF eager to prove it can be competitive in one of nation's toughest leagues eagletribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eagletribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The losses kept coming for Virginia after last season. Three were expected as Kihei Clark, Jayden Gardner and Ben Vander Plas had exhausted their eligibility, but the rest were not. Guard Armaan Franklin made himself available for the NBA draft, and prized freshman Isaac Traudt, who redshirted, ended up transferring along with big men Francisco Caffaro and Kadin Shedrick.