The frustration and frustration have been etched on the face of UCF coach Johnny Dawkins.
His Knights had simply placed on an uninspiring efficiency in a 93-83 loss to Cincinnati, sending them to their third straight loss.
Much more regarding was the staff’s lack of protection, surrendering 90-plus factors towards a staff that entered averaging 70 per recreation.
“We’ve to defend higher,” stated Dawkins. “We gave up 56 factors within the paint. That’s not who we’ve been. We’ve solely accomplished that factor one time this yr. And so now we have to get again to understanding what the priorities are defensively, and that’s defending our paint.
“We should determine a method to win, whether or not it’s ugly on protection or offense. The underside line is you needed to discover a method to get the job accomplished and we didn’t discover a method to get the job accomplished.”
The final time UCF (13-9, 4-7 Huge 12) allowed greater than 50-plus factors within the paint was a 108-83 loss to No. 3 Iowa State, which had 54, on Jan. 21. Earlier than that, the Knights allowed 62 in a 99-48 loss to Kansas on Jan. 5.
“We’ve simply received to get harder within the paint,” ahead Keyshawn Corridor stated of the postgame message from Dawkins. “We are able to allow them to rating in our paint. No staff ought to rating that many factors in our paint.”
UCF allowed the Bearcats to shoot a season-high 58.5% (38 of 65), the fifth time it has allowed a staff to shoot 50% or higher.
“We’ve received to get our coronary heart and our mindset again to how we guard, understanding that it has to harm you to get scored on,” Dawkins stated. “If it doesn’t damage to be scored on, you’ll quit 93 factors.”
UCF ranks final within the Huge 12 in staff protection, permitting 79.4 factors per recreation. That’s essentially the most factors allowed because the 1995-96 season, when the Knights allowed 79.8.
“We are able to’t simply preserve giving up video games at dwelling,” stated Corridor, who scored 23 factors. “That’s not a great search for our neighborhood. It’s embarrassing.”
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To make issues worse, the three-game shedding streak has severely hampered UCF’s probabilities of making the NCAA Match, which runs March 16-April 7, for the primary time because the 2018-19 season.
The Knights entered Wednesday night time’s recreation squarely on bubble watch, listed anyplace as a excessive seed or one of many final groups within the 68-team discipline. Because the losses mount, these projections are nothing greater than wishful pondering.
UCF has 9 video games remaining, beginning with Baylor (14-8, 6-5 Huge 12). That’s adopted by a house recreation towards No. 8 Iowa State on Tuesday. The Knights doubtless have to win not less than 5 extra video games for a authentic shot at an NCAA Match bid.
Different choices embody a spot within the School Basketball Crown, a newly minted postseason match on Fox Sports activities. It options 16 groups, with the Huge 12, Huge Ten and Huge East receiving two computerized qualifiers and 10 at-large groups.
It runs March 31-April 6 in Las Vegas.
Matt Murschel could be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com
Up subsequent ..
UCF at Baylor
When: 2, Saturday, Foster Pavilion in Waco, Texas
TV: ESPN+