The Best (and Worst) March Madness Moments in UCF History
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The UCF Knights may not be a March Madness mainstay, but even in limited appearances, they are no strangers to the tournament's iconic moments.
Here are some of the best (and worst) March Madness moments in program history:
Best: First Win, 2019
Fourteen years after UCF's last NCAA Tournament appearance and on its fifth try, the 2018-19 Knights became the first team in program history to win in March Madness, thanks to taking down VCU, 73-58.
The Knights' defense came out hot in the first half, helping get them out to a ten-point lead going into halftime. This effort was led by center Tacko Fall's 18 rebounds and five blocks.
Fall was also a factor offensively with 13 points, though he was surpassed by guard Aubrey Dawkins, who went six of 12 from the floor for 14 points, and B.J. Taylor, who went five of 14 from the floor, with a pair of threes, for 15 points.
Worst: Rimmed Out, 2019
Back in 2019, Tacko Fall and UCF just barely came up short in a thriller vs. Zion Williamson and Duke 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Qxctuoill6
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 12, 2025
Following making program history with its first-ever NCAA Tournament win, the 2018-19 Knights were looking to keep their run going against 1-seed Duke in a faceoff between Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski and his former player, Johnny Dawkins.
Despite the Blue Devils having future NBA stars in Zion Williamson, who scored 32 points in this game, RJ Barrett, and Tre Jones on their side, plus an eight-point lead at halftime, the Knights rallied in the second half to take a narrow lead with 20 seconds to go.
Fall and Dawkins, the coach's youngest son, put the Knights on their back, accounting for 19 of their 26 converted shots. Dawkins' 32 points in this game even broke the program record for the most by a single player in an NCAA Tournament game.
However, on defense, Fall had his hands full with Williamson, which ultimately led to him fouling out with 14.4 seconds to go on an and-one that cut UCF's lead to one. Without Fall on the court, the Blue Devils picked up the offensive rebound off the missed free throw and drained the go-ahead bucket.
However, the Knights still had 11.8 seconds to escape with a win. However, without Fall on the court, it was up to Taylor and Dawkins. Taylor first made a charge at the basket and got a shot off from mid-range to no avail. Dawkins then charged in, leaping up to try for a putback, but the ball ended up rimming out of the hoop with just over two seconds left.
Duke survives, 77-76, and a historic Knights' season ends by the slimmest of margins.
Best: First Tip-off, 1994
Proud to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of UCF basketball’s FIRST NCAA tournament team! Great having Coach Speraw and team back home 👏 pic.twitter.com/5MEQyshBaj
— UCF Men’s Hoops 🌴 (@UCF_MBB) March 2, 2024
After appearing in eight Division 2 NCAA Tournaments in the late 70s and early 80s, the Knights went through a postseason drought upon elevating to the Division 1 level for the 1984-85 season. For nine seasons, UCF could not muster even a winning season.
Then, in 1993-94, new coach Kirk Speraw took that program, which had gone 10-17 the season before, to the TAAC Tournament championship and its first March Madness berth in program history.
The Knights ended up going against a Purdue squad led by the No. 1 overall pick in that year's NBA Draft, Glenn Robinson. The Boilermakers managed to get out to a 38-25 lead by halftime, a gap that only widened in the second half as UCF struggled from three, shooting 7-23.
However, this was a 16-seed going up against a 1-seed back during a time in which it was inconceivable for an upset to occur in such a matchup. Simply tipping off in this game after almost a decade of losing seasons was a victory in and of itself.
The next chapter of UCF's March Madness history is set to be written at 7:25 p.m. on Friday.
Read more about UCF's NCAA Tournament run below:
UCF Knights March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent and Path to Final Four
UCF Basketball Injuries To Watch For March Madness
A UCF Knights March Madness History: Record, Titles, Best Highlights
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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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