UCF has had a rough start to the season at 1-3 with three close losses. The UCF Knights still seem a play and a player short without guard B.J. Taylor.
The UCF Knights have been close. Painfully close.
A five-point loss at Davidson. An overtime loss to UC Irvine. A one-point loss at Miami (Ohio).
The Knights’ 1-3 record is what it says it is. UCF has been close to getting wins but unable to get over the hump in the early part of the season. It seems the team has had to find itself with different scorers stepping up each game and without a lack of solid offensive push.
The Knights have stayed in every game with that balanced offense and a defense that is decent enough — the team has a +0.2 adjusted net rating according to KenPom.com — but have lacked that little extra push. That little bit late in games.
UCF has not been able to get all the pieces to fit together.
“You always got to play the guys you got,” coach Donnie Jones said. “There are a lot of new faces on this team and a lot of guys who are growing in the role and our guys are getting better. I think we’ve been so close. We’re just a play or two away from a different outcome. We could very easily be 4-0.”
A big part of that is the absence or returning leading scorer B.J. Taylor.
Taylor is still out with a bone bruise in his leg. Jones said there is no timetable for his return and he has not returned to practice.
This has left a major gap at point guard. That gap so far has been filled with senior Daiquan Walker. Walker is struggling to shoot at just 29.6 percent, but he is averaging 6.0 assists per game in the early season.
The Knights lost both of their point guards from last year with Taylor out of the lineup. Walker and Chance McSpadden have been splitting duties at point guard. Neither are natural point guards and there is an adjustment as they learn the position.
UCF has had to do a lot of sharing and a lot of adjusting to get completely up to speed.
“It’s been tough,” Henriquez said. “We definitely miss his leadership and his point guard skills. We just all have to pick up the slack and do a little more than we are used to.”
This is a young team. While senior forward Shaheed Davis has stepped up his scoring — sharing the team lead with Henriquez at 11.3 points per game after averaging 4.4 last year — there is still undoubtedly a scoring and consistency gap without Taylor in the lineup.
Where the team is still really hurting is scoring the basketball. According to KenPom.com, the Knights have an adjusted offensive rating of 100.7 points per 100 possessions, good for 204th in the country.
However, a look at the raw numbers suggest the Knights might still come out on top. They have an offensive rating of 98.8 points scored per 100 possessions (not a great number) but are better on the defensive end with a 95.1 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions). These numbers are not adjusted for the team’s competition and are raw numbers based on box score estimates.
It is to suggest though that the Knights are quite literally one bounce away from finishing and winning games at this early stage of the season. The only thing they have left to do is win the game.
“I feel like we are getting there,” Henriquez said. “It has come down to the wire the last couple of games, we just have to execute and be prepared for what the team runs. Sometimes it comes down to one possession and sometimes we just don’t execute. Some guys just take it hard, but you have to watch film, come back and try to win the next one.”
That opportunity to get better starts first Wednesday as the team travels to nearby DeLand to take on former Atlantic Sun rival Stetson. This will be the opportunity to get things somewhat back on track.
The Knights have been knocking on the door early on in the season. Even with all the injuries and adjustments to young players, they have competed in games. Often they are missing that one play as everyone said — like Henriquez missing a shot at the buzzer against Miami (Ohio) or the team not getting that critical stop.
That is all part of the learning process for a young team such as this.
A chance to build confidence will help UCF grow until Taylor returns, giving the team a huge weapon.
“Obviously it doesn’t make you feel good to lose but there is a learning lesson and a process in it,” Jones said. “You are always encouraged to see how they come back from victory and defeat. This group has been very focused and very together and wanting to improve every day. It’s important every day for us to continue to get better.”
