UCF Basketball Players Share Thoughts On Big 12 Tournament's Glass Court
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A pair of UCF Knights men's basektball players shared their experiences playing on a glass court during the Big 12 Tournament on Sunday.
While the Knights ultimately secured a win on the floor over Cincinnati in overtime before being eliminated by the 1-seed Arizona the next day, it did not mean their play was free from struggle.
The three-point shot has been a calling card for UCF this season. In fact, they entered the tournament shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc, which would be the fourth-highest single-season shooting percentage in program history. However, in Kansas City, the Knights shot 6-45 from three across both games, with each accounting for half of the times this season they've shot under 20% from deep.
"It was just weird, like the traction on the floor, like you couldn't really get grip on the floor, you know," guard Themus Fulks said on Sunday. "You're Arizona, you know, just dump it inside, and you just play bully-ball the whole game, like, it's a little bit different, but for us, you know, we were trying to make cuts, make moves."
Forward Jordan Burks had particular trouble shooting from three during both games, with all nine of his attempts not finding the basket. He highlighted "attention to detail, start and sustain and finishing" as things he learned from his experience at the tournament.
"This is one of the best shooters in the nation, and he was slipping all over the floor," Fulks said, gesturing to Burks. "So, I feel like the Big 12 should, like, maybe just stay away from that."
Following the Knights' loss to Arizona in the quarterfinals, the Big 12 did ultimately switch out the glass court for a hardwood one for the semifinals and the championship game. Conference Commissioner Brett Yormark said in a statement that the switch was made to provide players with "the greatest level of comfort on a huge stage."
"How I see it, they start off with the glass floor, then they switch it back to the regular floor; technically, we should start the whole tournament back over to make it fair," Fulks said.
While there is not going to be a replay of the Big 12 Tournament, the Knights do have another tournament to play before their season draws to a close, as the program makes its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2019. UCF faces off against 7-seed UCLA in its first round matchup at 7:25 p.m. on Friday.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Knights March Madness Hub: Schedule, Seed, Opponent and Path to Final Four
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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