UCF faces Baylor's potent guard-forward duo. Discover the Knights' strategy to counter their offensive stars and exploit the Bears' interior weaknesses.
After a 2-0 west coast road trip for Johnny Dawkins and the Knights, the squad returns home for the final two home games of the season - hosting Baylor and Oklahoma State.
Following the UCF (20-7, 9-6 Big 12) upset victory over No. 19 BYU, Dawkins emphasized what it will take to keep the momentum going into a matchup with the Bears (14-14, 4-11 Big 12).
"We have to understand that every one of these games they count the same. So, we need to make sure we enjoy it, and then we need to move forward, understanding that it's all about our preparation for our next opponent," Dawkins said. "We need to throw everything into studying and learning about our next opponent, and our players need to make sure they're taking this information in so that we can go out and try to execute as best we can in our next game."
Here's a quick scouting report on what to expect from Baylor Saturday at 8:00 p.m:
Baylor is led by a two-headed monster on offense, receiving 45% of the team's scoring from junior combo guard Cameron Carr and freshman forward Tounde Yessoufou. Both players have had incredible seasons, with most NBA mock drafts projecting the duo as late first round picks.
Carr spent two seasons at Tennessee, where he played limited minutes and failed to eclipse five points per game. However, Carr has taken a huge jump in year three, averaging 18.9 points per game while pulling in nearly six rebounds per contest. Carr has a nice stroke from distance, shooting 37.6% from distance and ranking second on the team in 3-pointers (59).
Yessoufou, on the other hand, was a highly-touted prospect in high school, ranking as a five-star on all major recruiting rankings. He has not disappointed, scoring 17.9 points per game and averaging two steals.
Although the Bears have lost four of their last five, Carr and Yessoufou have been productive, combining for 38 points against the No. 2 Arizona Wildcats in their last game.
The Bears main weakness can be found on the inside, where they are limited in size. Starting center Caden Powell is only 6'9, while his back-up, 7-footer James Nnaji has had limited burn since his return from the NBA G League.
UCF should look to attack inside, finding mismatches with Jamichael Stillwell and John Bol to exploit the size advantage whenever possible.
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