Three Key Takeaways From Vanderbilt's Blowout Win Over UCF
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The Vanderbilt Commodores handed the UCF Knights Men's Basketball its first loss of the 2025-26 campaign Saturday afternoon in Addition Financial Arena, 105-93.
The loss also puts coach Johnny Dawkins' 170th win of his UCF tenure on hold.
Here are three takeaways from the showdown of the Black and Gold schools:
1. The Commodores Let it Rain From Three-point Land
One of the starker differences on the stat sheet between the Knights and Commodores is their volumes of shooting beyond the arc, to the point that over half of all their shots are from the floor.
Vanderbilt went to the three early and often against the Knights, ultimately finishing 14-36 from three-point land. UCF was more selective, going 9-16 for a better shooting percentage from three-point land at 56 percent. However, this created a 15-point swing for the Commodores in what was a 12-point margin of victory.
While six different Vanderbilt players sank at least one long ball Saturday afternoon, a triumvirate of guard Duke Miles, guard Tyler Tanner and forward Tyler Nickel were the primary three-point shooters, combining for 10 of the 13 made shots.
2. UCF Succumbed to Turnover Bug
While the Commodores' success beyond the arc created separation, their defense and transition game maintained it.
While the Knights did not give up as many turnovers as they did to Hofstra, Vanderbilt better maximized its extra offensive opportunities.
Vanderbilt got an extra 20 points off of 12 UCF turnovers, while the Knights could only get two points with six Commodore turnovers.
3. UCF's Shooting From Floor Cold Streak Strike Again
Despite a solid initial start shooting, the Knights ended up going cold midway through the first half, going 2-13 from the floor between the 15:00 and 7:00 left to go in the first half. By contrast, Vanderbilt never had a drought of less than three missed shots during the first half.
UCF guard Riley Kugel, an Orlando native, was the most consistent shooter on the floor for the home team, accounting for
Kugel got some more assistance in the second half, in particular from Stephen F. Austin transfer guard Chris Johnson, who scored 17 points in the second half alone by going 5-7 from the floor with a trio of threes and going 4-6 from the charity stripe.
Such success helped the Knights avoid a shooting drought in the second half. They even capitalized on a five-shot drought from the Commodores, converted eight consecutive shots from the floor, and went 17-22 from the charity stripe, which helped close the gap late.
However, with Vanderbilt getting out to as much as a 27-point lead with 13:13 left to go in the game, the early-game cushion proved enough to secure the road win.
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The Knights conclude their three-game season-opening home stand on Tuesday with a Veterans' Day matchup against Florida A&M.
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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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