This Saturday marks a pivotal moment for the UCF men's basketball program as they'll step onto the court at Kansas State for their inaugural conference game as a member of the Big 12.
On Thursday, a day before the Knights depart for snowy Manhattan, we caught up with head coach Johnny Dawkins and players Jaylin Sellers and Shemarri Allen.
Johnny Dawkins
-Asked about advance scouting of Big 12 opponents, Dawkins stressed you still have to keep the focus on your own team and what you want to accomplish. Their identity has been on defense and that's what they will continue to build on, regardless of the conference or who they are playing.
-Dawkins says there are three seasons in college basketball: Preseason, conference play and postseason. This is a new season - everybody is 0-0.
-UCF was predicted to finish at the bottom of the Big 12. They know it. Dawkins says they can't be worried about it. He brings up K-State was ranked at the bottom last year and ended up being an Elite Eight team. You still have to play the games.
-Dawkins confirmed they will fly charter to the Kansas State game and believes that will be the case for most of the games.
-Dawkins says they message they'll want to send to the Big 12 is showing that they belong.
-Looking back at the non-conference schedule, Dawkins liked their "competitive spirit." He liked how they've been establishing their identity defensively. They need to be more consistent and cut down on turnovers.
-On a national level, the 14 toughest remaining strength of schedules are the 14 teams in the Big 12. UCF has the No. 2 toughest remaining SOS. Dawkins says the margin will be extremely tight in the Big 12.
-Scouting Kansas State, Dawkins says they have great perimeter players between Cam Carter, Tylor Perry and Arthur Kaluma. Their bigs are very good also. They are a very good offensive rebounding team. Good on defense. They play with good pace. UCF will have to slow them down. Whether it's a make or miss, they're running down the floor.
-The entire Big 12 schedule is a gauntlet. There are no "easy" games.
-The atmospheres will be new to many UCF players. They've been pumping in crowd noise during practices because they know it'll be extremely loud which will make it tough to yell out calls from the sideline.
-Dawkins says he's "honored" to be the head coach that leads UCF into the Big 12. The goal is to be an elite program, a top 25 program. This conference move helps UCF in becoming the program that he envisions. This opportunity was earned. UCF belongs. They will make everybody proud with how hard they play.
-Dawkins was candid, saying their defense is ahead of their offense right now. Their offense has to catch up. He's seeing steady improvement offensively though.
-Dawkins stressed the importance of the fanbase showing up for the Big 12 home games and matching the intensity of the fans they'll encounter at the road games.
-CJ Walker is continuing the progress after returning from his injury.
-What would be a successful first season for UCF in the Big 12? Dawkins is just looking at it one game at a time. He just wants his players to have the mindset that they belong.
-This was from the BCU postgame presser, but is worth repeating: Dawkins' first year at UCF, they were the No. 1 ranked defensive team in the nation, held teams to 36 percent shooting. He thinks this team can challenge that team in terms of being a top 10 or 25 defensive team in the country. And with a playing rotation of 10-11 players, that has influenced his decision to become a full-court pressing team. He had to more strategic in some years because he didn't want to tire a rotation that might have only been 7-8 players.
Shemarri Allen
-Allen says they are "super excited" to play their first Big 12 game.
-There are no "off nights" in the Big 12.
-Was non-conference play a success? Allen says he felt a couple games they let slip, but now it's about looking forward.
-Allen says outsiders are counting UCF out in the Big 12, so they're looking forward to proving them wrong.
-What's the identity of this team? A blue-collar program that gets it done on both ends of the floor.
-Allen says they hang their hat on their defense and they know their offense will pick up and come along.
-Allen played at UMKC last seaosn and they played a game at K-State. Allen led his team in scoring that day with 21 points. He says he remembers K-State had a great student section. He loves playing on the road and getting road wins.
-On K-State, Allen knows they are a great offensive rebounding team.
-Allen says they'll use the Big 12 preseason projections as motivation. They know they belong.
-Allen says their goal is to finish in the top half of the Big 12 and make the NCAA Tournament.
-Asked what Big 12 teams will learn about UCF, Allen says it'll be in how hard they play which may surprise teams.
Jaylin Sellers
-Sellers says it's a blessing to be at UCF for this inaugural Big 12 season. They're anxious to prove what they can do in this league.
-They have to focus on themselves and not worry about the crowds.
-UCF was predicted to finish at the bottom of the Big 12. Sellers says it doesn't really bother him. It just serves as motivation.
-Sellers says the team has bonded better than he anticipated.
-He says the Big 12 will learn that UCF will play hard every night, never back down and prove they belong.
-On K-State, they're very good at offensive rebounding, No. 12 in the country in that stat. They have quality guards and a good coach.
-The biggest area they need to improve is putting together a complete game, first half and second half.
-Sellers likes playing in loud atmospheres, so that aspect of the Big 12 will be fun.
