UCF's inaugural Big 12 basketball season is just days away.

The Knights will tip off their 2023-24 season next Monday, Nov. 6 with a men's and women's doubleheader at Addition Financial Arena.

The women host Bethune-Cookman at 6 p.m. with the men playing FIU immediately afterward (start time probably closer to 8:30).

The men's non-conference schedule is highlighted by games against Miami (Nov. 10 in Coral Gables) and Ole Miss (Dec. 10 at home) before Big 12 play begins Jan. 6 at Kansas State.

UCF men's basketball coach Johnny Dawkins and a trio of players met with the media this week.

"The guys have been working hard this preseason," Dawkins said. "We have a saying that we're trying to get a little better every day. I think we've taken that approach to heart. Guys have been competing. We've had a couple closed-door scrimmages and a number of practices. I think we've improved and we're looking forward to the start of the season."

While scrimmages are intended to be "secret," results tend to leak out. Trilly Donovan, an anonymous college basketball insider, reported UCF lost their first scrimmage to Florida Gulf Coast 71-66. This past Saturday, UCF beat FAU 68-56 with Darius Johnson scoring 24 points.

It should be noted scrimmages are not necessarily managed like a regular season game. You may have coaches tinkering with lineups and rotations or deciding to play freshmen/reserves for an extended period.

"We're still in the process of evaluating our players," Dawkins said. "We have 10 new guys, so we want to put everyone in situations to see what they can do and how they contribute to our team. Of course, we want to see what our nucleus looks like on the court and we did that while also still learning about our new guys. The best way to learn is not just playing against each other, but playing against different competition. People show different things when they play against other players."

Dawkins sees size and depth as their biggest strength.

"We have guys on the front end who are long and active," Dawkins said. "I think strength is in our numbers. We have some quality players that we're confident can contribute. And also having some guys return is important. Having CJ Walker and Darius Johnson returning from last year. They're experienced and they know our expectations."

After missing most of last season with an injury, CJ Walker is back - and healthy - for his fifth year.

"I like how fast we gelled together," Walker said. "With 10 new guys, it's hard to get everybody on track. I think the Italy trip really helped us a lot in learning about each other and becoming cohesive."

Few on the outside are giving UCF much of a chance in their inaugural Big 12 season. The Knights were picked to finish in last place.

"It definitely drives us every day," Walker said. "We talk about it every day as a team. The more political answer, I get it. We have 10 new guys and nobody else knows what we have cooking in the practice gym. You have to put us somewhere. It helps drive us every day in practice and gives us that edge."

Darius Johnson said he wants to be the face of UCF's defense.

"Starting off with the ball pressure, making other teams feel my presence and making it difficult for them to run offensive sets," Johnson said. "Being a dog, being a gnat on defense. Being a pest."

Among the newcomers, Jaylin Sellers, a transfer guard from Ball State, figures to play a prominent role.

Sellers is coming off a All-MAC Third Team sophomore season in which he averaged 13.5 points and 3.7 assists. He was incredibly efficient from three-point range, connecting on 45 percent of his attempts (78 of 174).

"I would probably say my pull-up (jumper) is the best (part of my offensive game)," Sellers said. "I try to do it on all levels, whether it's a pull-up, three or getting to the basket."