Three Key Takeaways From UCF's Road Win Over Kansas State
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The UCF Knights men's basketball team picked up its first road win of Big 12 play Wednesday night after fending off Kansas State, 82-73.
Here are the Knights' three key takeaways from the night:
1. UCF Can Win On The Road
While the Knights' shots were not falling in their last road matchup against Oklahoma State, they were in Manhattan. In fact, it was their second-highest shooting percentage of Big 12 play so far.
However, this is not to say it was a clean win. In the first half, Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty, a top 10 scorer in the nation, was limited to just five points, helping UCF get out to a 42-28 lead at the half. By the second half, Haggerty had more success, getting 18 points that actually helped the Wildcats outscore the Knights, 45-40, in the last 20 minutes.
Despite Kansas State's second-half charge, even getting to within just a point of the lead with 11:18 left in the game, the Knights' offense came through to create a cushion, even if it meant needing to force free throws after they could not sink a single shot from the floor in the final three minutes. Their defense stepped up as well, limiting Kansas State to making just one of their last seven shots from the floor in the game's final 3:40.
2. Versatility Won
Haggerty might have shown why he was a Top 10 scorer in the nation by breaking out in the second half for 18 points to finish his day as the only player with a 20+ point performance, but the Knights had the more consistent and versatile offensive showing.
While Kansas State had four players who converted on half or more of their shots from the floor, UCF had six.
Such versatility even applies to players' individual performances. Guard Riley Kugel and forward Jamichael Stillwell were not just the team's scoring leaders, with 19 and 18 points respectively, but also the team's leading rebounders with seven apiece. Guard Themus Fulks picked up his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 assists. Even off the bench, guard Chris Johnson and forward Devan Cambridge combined to shoot 7-9 from the floor and score 20 points, helping UCF outscore Kansas State's bench, 22-6.
While the Wildcats may have had the best individual player on the court, the versatility of the Knights ultimately prevailed.
3. Watch Out For Three-Point Shooting
Aside from bench scoring, the most drastic statistical difference between the Knights and Wildcats comes from their three-point shooting percentages. UCF made just under half of its long balls, going 7-15, while Kansas State went 6-30.
Many of those failed Wildcat attempts came from their main three-point man, guard Abdi Bashir Jr., who went 4-13 just on his own. While a couple of back-to-back threes from him to start the second half did help spark Kansas State's rally to get to within a point with just over 11 minutes left in the game, he went scoreless the rest of the night.
So, thanks to the long ball misfortunes of Kansas State, the Knights did not have to rely on it as often and capitalized when they did take those shots.
The Knights do not have long before they hit the court again on Saturday at 4 p.m. as they host No. 1 Arizona.
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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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