SMU Mustangs went on a 19-1 run in the first half that ended any chance for the UCF Knights to score a road upset.
SMU had all the advantages coming in undefeated and No. 15 in the country. The only thing the Knights might have had going for them as an advantage was inside with the 7-foot-6 Tacko Fall.
That would at least be a deterrent to attacking the basket and helping UCF control the pace against a fast-paced team like SMU.
Fall was quickly out of the game though. SMU attacked him anyway and forced the big man into foul trouble. His second foul might have been a clean block, but barely five minutes into the game and Fall’s effectiveness was gone.
As good as Justin McBride has played this year, he does not have nearly the paint presence Fall has. And the lanes were open for SMU.
The Mustangs went on a 19-1 run and the Knights never recovered. They played even with the Mustangs through the second half but made no serious pushes.
SMU dominated fully for an 88-73 win over UCF at Moody Coliseum in Dallas on Sunday.
Justin McBride scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Knights. He was a workhorse in the post on offense and gave SMU plenty to worry about on offense. A.J. Davis had 10 points despite shooting one for nine from the floor and Matt Williams hit four 3-pointers for 12 points.
UCF generally though did not have much defensive push. The Mustangs scored 1.28 points per possession and seemed always in attack mode on a staggered Knights defense.
UCF started the game in a pressing defense which SMU tore up. The team switched to a zone which left the team scrambling a bit when SMU got into the lane. The team played some man which also did not work.
Guards like Nic Moore and Ben Moore were beating their man off the dribble and forcing UCF’s defense to scramble and rotate. Those rotations seemed just a hair late all night.
SMU hit 9 of 16 3-pointers including 6 of 9 from Nic Moore on his way to 20 points. Ben Moore had 23.
This was simply not a game where the Knights could outscore the Mustangs. But that is the game it became.
And UCF was knocked out pretty early. The offense might have been humming along, but nowhere near as well as SMU.
That is not who this Knights team wants to be eventually, you would think. Then again, UCF still seems to be searching for the best way to win games. Its offense has been very good in stretches, but the defense could not compete with such a high-ranked team.
