Inside The Knights

It's Been A While: UCF Hoops Debuts In AP Top 25

UCF Men's Basketball earns an AP Top 25 ranking for the first time since 2019.
Bryson Turner|
Mar 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins argues a call during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Mar 8, 2025; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; UCF Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins argues a call during the first half against the West Virginia Mountaineers at WVU Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images

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The UCF Knights men's basketball team reached rare air for the program on Monday by getting ranked in the AP Top 25 poll.

The Knights were ranked No. 25, the same spot it reached the last time they were ranked back on March 4, 2019. This marks just the sixth week they've been ranked in the program's history and the second under the Dawkins era.

The ranking comes following the Knights' Big 12-opening victory over No. 17 Kansas on Saturday, which helped them improve to 12-1 and extend their winning streak to 11 games. The Jayhawks sit just a few spots ahead of UCF, having dropped five spots to No. 22. Both squads are a part of seven total Big 12 teams ranked in the AP Top 25 this week, the most from one conference in the nation.

The main concentration of UCF's AP Top 25 rankings came during a four-week period in the 2010-11 season, which also marks the last time the Knights were ranked in January. Though the wins that got them there are now officially vacated due to NCAA sanctions.

While this week marks the first time the Knights have received a ranking, they have bubbled under the Top 25 on two occasions since 2019, first for two weeks in December 2020 and then another two weeks last season in November 2024.

UCF actually remains just receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, with its 41 votes coming one shy of No. 25 SMU. The Mustangs are also ahead of the Knights in the AP Poll at No. 24. Instead, it's with Villanova that the two polls disagree. In the Coaches Poll, the Wildcats received 70 votes, putting them at No. 24, but the AP Poll has them out of the Top 25, though just five votes behind UCF.

As for other rankings that the NCAA Tournament committee considers come March, the Knights' win against the No. 17 Jayhawks impacted them, too. In the NET rankings, UCF's win propelled it nine spots to No. 30 in the nation, though other games on Sunday shuffled it back a couple of spots to No. 32 for a net gain of seven spots.

There is also the KenPom rankings, created by statistician Ken Pomeroy, which factors in advanced analytics. This week, the Knights ranked No. 43, just behind VCU and just ahead of Creighton.

UCF takes the court again on Tuesday for its first true road game since Nov. 14, taking on Oklahoma State. As of Jan. 5, the Cowboys sit at No. 82 in the NET rankings and No. 67 in the KenPom rankings.

Catch up on more UCF news below:

The 2026 UCF Knights Transfer Portal Tracker

UCF Defensive Tackle Announces Return In 2026

Three Key Takeaways From UCF's Big 12 Opening Win Over #17 Kansas

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Bryson Turner
BRYSON TURNER

Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.

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