Three Stats That Stood Out In UCF Basketball's Win Over Utah

In a game that came down to its final shots, here are three key stats that help tell the story of UCF's win over Utah.

Feb 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) goes up for a shot against Utah Utes forward James Okonkwo (32) during the first half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The UCF Knights escaped the Jon M. Huntsman Center with a close victory over the Utah Utes on Saturday, 73-71.

With the win, the first on the road since Jan. 24, the Knights and coach Johnny Dawkins kept themselves in the running for an NCAA Tournament berth, reaching 19 total wins for the season.

Here are three stats from the night that both helped and hurt UCF's chances at pulling out the victory:

Despite Utah coughing up only two more turnovers than UCF, the Knights managed to take advantage of each opportunity they had, winning the points off turnover battle, 18-7. With 11 turnovers by the Utes and nine by UCF, that means Utah averaged 0.78 points per turnover, while UCF averaged 1.64 points per turnover.

"That's important for us," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game. "I thought, you know, we did a good job in that area, you know, gaining some points. We have found ways we can, you know, we can have success. Everybody has a style of play or a system, and that's part of our system."

2. Second-Chance Points

While the Knights had the advantage with turnovers, the Utes had it in equal measure at the offensive glass, at least when it came to taking advantage of it.

Despite UCF only having one less offensive rebound than Utah, the Utes won the second-chance points battle, 16-4. It marks a season-low for the Knights in the category and the first time this season the Knights' second-chance points differential in a game has been in the double-digits to the negative.

When averaged out, Utah ended up adding 1.78 points per offensive rebound, while the Knights only added 0.5 points per offensive rebound.

3. Themus Fulks

Feb 21, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; UCF Knights guard Themus Fulks (1) backs in to the basket against Utah Utes guard Don McHenry (3) during the second half at Jon M. Huntsman Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

UCF guard Themus Fulks dominated the Knights' offensive production on Saturday by going 11-24 from the floor. This ended up being a new career high for him in field goals attempted, while he tied his career high in field goals made, which helped him tie his second-highest scoring total of the season at 24 points.

"I thought he did a great job of stepping up, especially in the out," Dawkins said. "You know, with Riley [Kugel] out, he needed to do more and that's what he was prepared for and he came in the game...he was aggressive, you know, he got going early for us and he set a tone, which helped us, you know, get off to a good start and he was able to sustain that, you know, throughout most of the game, which was good for us."

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The Knights are set to remain in Utah, per UCF's radio voice, Marc Daniels, in an X post, while they prepare to take on No. 23 BYU at 11 p.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday.

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