How UCF Basketball Regrouped And Responded Against TCU

UCF keeps its NCAA Tournament hopes alive with a win over TCU, 82-71.

Feb 14, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins reacts during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The UCF Knights men's basketball team halted its three-game losing streak Tuesday night with a victory over the TCU Horned Frogs, 82-71.

With both teams sitting on or near the NCAA Tournament bubble, the Knights' win not only kept themselves in the conversation for March, but it also fended off the Horned Frogs from taking eighth place in the Big 12 standings.

Here are three reasons why UCF pulled it off:

After sitting out of the Knights' loss to West Virginia, forward Jamichael Stillwell was back for Tuesday night, and his presence was felt down low, going 3-5 from the floor and drawing a couple of fouls to go 3-4 from the free-throw line for nine points. He was also a factor at the glass, pulling down six rebounds, half of which were offensive rebounds.

"He is always holding people accountable, and we knew we couldn't let this one slip away," guard Themus Fulks said of Stillwell after the game. "We kind of played desperate, and he took advantage of
it."

The Knights might not have led in second-chance points, but they did once again win the battle in the paint, 38-36, something they did not do with Stillwell out on Saturday against West Virginia.

Stillwell's return also allowed forward Devan Cambridge to once again contribute from the bench, helping UCF double its amount of bench points from the West Virginia game.

Coach Johnny Dawkins said the team needed to regroup and respond following Saturday's loss, and it did just that in the opening stages of Tuesday's game to get out to a double-digit lead almost halfway through the first half.

This was helped by a career performance from forward Jordan Burks, who sank four of his five converted three-point shots in the first half. He ended up tying his career high with 23 points while also leading the team with seven rebounds, three of which were on offense.

“We just really wanted to play off each other; let the ball find the guy who has a great opportunity, and we play that way and just trust your teammates, you know, everyone trusting everyone on the floor," Dawkins said. "Tonight, it found Jordan."

It also found guard George Beale Jr., who saw the most minutes in a game on Tuesday since Nov. 29 with fellow guard Carmelo Pacheco out with a concussion and still "day to day," according to Dawkins. So, serving as the Knights' primary three-point threat off the bench, Beale went 3-4 from beyond the arc and also sank a pair of free throws for 11 points. It was only his second double-digit scoring game of the season.

Following the game, TCU coach Jamie Dixon said the Horned Frogs did not handle the Knights' start well. It did not help matters that both of TCU's leading scorers, forward David Punch, also one of the Big 12's premier blockers, and forward Xavier Edmonds, got into foul trouble in the first half.

Such a conundrum appeared on the shooting chart in the form of four separate instances, in which the Horned Frogs missed three consecutive shots or more.

The Knights' offense did go cold in the later stages of the second half, which allowed TCU to briefly cut the deficit to single digits with just over a minute left. However, it was not enough to close the gap.

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While UCF has an opportunity road win next as it travels to Utah to take on the Utes, ranked No. 127 in the NET rankings, on Feb. 21 at 9 p.m.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

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UCF Basketball Falls In NCAA Selection Rankings

UCF Alum Settles In To New NBA Team