Three Observations From UCF's First Hoops Scrimmage Against #6 Duke
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The UCF Knights men's basketball team took the floor together for the first time in the 2025-26 season on Tuesday on the road against #6 Duke, falling 96-71.
While the Knights still have one more scrimmage left before the regular season tips off, hosting LSU in Addition Financial Arena on Oct. 26, here are three things from their trip to coach Johnny Dawkins' old stomping ground:
Thank you, @DukeMBB for the opportunity to come home and let our guys compete today! pic.twitter.com/MSGQHLyHrn
— Johnny Dawkins (@Coach_Dawkins) October 22, 2025
1. A Slow Take Off and Rough Landing
It took some time for shots to start falling for UCF. Though once forward Jordan Burks started getting a hot hand en route to 18 first-half points, the Knights were pulling close to even with the Blue Devils at the break.
The game stayed close for the first three minutes of the second half, even getting a small lead, 46-43, at one point. However, Duke ended up going on a 10-0 run from 14:09 to 12:50 left, and this time UCF could not dig itself out of it.
The Blue Devils, led by forward Cameron Boozer's 33-point and 12-rebound double-double, once again found ways through the Knights' defense and ended up getting more offensive production in the second half than in the first. UCF, on the other hand, saw a small decline in offense in the second half.
Whether this is a byproduct of facing a Top 10 team in the nation or a foreshadowing of games to come is still to be determined.
2. Keep An Eye On The Former Bulldogs
Guard Riley Kugel and center Jeremy Foumena both arrived in Orlando by way of Mississippi State, but while Burks' hot streak in the first half helped him get 21 points, the two former Bulldogs led the Knights at the boards.
Kugel served as UCF's leading rebounder in the first half, picking up six of his seven total rebounds. However, he also had a very diverse offensive performance, combining layups, mid-range shots, perimeter shots, and free-throw shooting to lead the Knights with 22 points. He shot 8-13 from the floor and 4-4 from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, Foumena ended up not being emphasized as much in this game, not being one of the starting five like Kugel. However, despite just 10 minutes of playing time, he copied his fellow former Bulldog with seven total rebounds, tying the team lead.
It might just be one preseason game, but these two made quite the first impression against one of the top teams in the nation.
3. Getting To The Line
The Blue Devils shot from the charity stripe 3.6 times more than the Knights.
Of UCF's seven made free-throw shots, four of them were Kugel's, meaning the rest of the Dawkins' squad combined to go 3-7 from the charity stripe.
Meanwhile, Duke had six players shoot from the free-throw line four times or more.
It might not have been all the difference, but a 24-7 advantage on converted free throws is the difference between a 20-point or more loss and a single-digit loss.
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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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