UCF will have one last shot to make an impression this year on the basketball court. It will be in their hometown against a team they swept in the regular season.
That was already locked up before the Knights traveled to Gampel Pavilion on Sunday to face the UConn Huskies, a game that showed how the Knights still have not gone up a weight class and are exactly what their record says they are.
Tacko Fall and A.J. Davis were the only two players to score in double figures and the Knights shot 34.8 percent from the floor in a 67-46 loss to the Huskies.
UCF finishes the regular season 12-17 and 6-12 in the American. All six wins came against three opponents — sweeps of East Carolina, USF and Tulane. Not coincidentally, the three teams that finished beneath UCF in the American standings.
The unfortunate part is games like Sunday’s finale against the Huskies have been par for the course for the Knights throughout the season. They have not been able to keep up with the best the American has to offer.
Connecticut expanded a six-point halftime lead to a 24-point lead. UCF never really threatened Connecticut in the second half. The team just could not get the offense going.
That has been a story throughout the season too. Just the inconsistency of the team’s offense and attack. The normal players seemed capable to hit their averages, but no one took a step forward. Again, a problem throughout the season.
Posting 0.75 points per possession is just never going to win a team a game. And the Knights could not get the ball to fall against UConn’s defense.
Connecticut was not much better on offense, shooting 36.7 percent in the first half. The Huskies got their shots to fall in the second half to pull away. And the Knights just were not able to come back.
That has been the story throughout the year. UCF can hang tough for a half, but then the team goes cold for too long and the defense cannot hold up. The Knights have just missed that last push in conference play.
Now as UCF prepares to enter the American Conference Tournament, on Orlando home court, the task is pretty tall for the homestanding team.
There will be a lot riding on the week and the future of the team will come into some focus as the Knights move from this frustrating 2016 campaign into the future.
This season’s finale was the entire season on repeat, it seemed. UCF just did not have enough to hang tough. And so their record is what they say they are.
