UCF Knights coach Johnny Dawkins has plenty memories of playing in Philadelphia. 

On Friday, he gets to experience it as a coach on the national stage. The Knights play the UCLA Bruins in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Xfinity Mobile Arena.

Dawkins played five seasons with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1990-94.

"I love Philly," Dawkins said, leading up to today's matchup. "I was very fortunate to play with some great, great players; of course, played with the great Charles Barkley, thinking about memories of winning the (Atlantic Division), and going and playing in the (Eastern Conference) semis. That was an amazing experience here. You always want to leave your legacy wherever you are. A banner should be up there for that team and what they were able to accomplish."

Dawkins averaged 11.1 points during his nine-year career. After being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 1987, he was traded to the Sixers in 1990. He arguably had his best NBA years in Philadelphia. 

"You think about Philly in itself, just like I said, how unique a sports town it is and how, when you drive through the city, you just feel it. They care," Dawkins said. "They care about their sports and they care about their programs, whether it's collegiate and professional."

The No. 10 seed Knights have spent the past few days taking in the City of Brotherly Love, using their social media account to document it. On Thursday, they posted a video of the team mascots running up the famous steps from the movie Rocky.

UCF is in the tournament for the first time since 2019 while UCLA is a constant participant in the NCAAs. The Knights have needed little time to get acclimated to playing in the Big 12 conference. They had several quality wins in the league, including knocking off the Kansas Jayhawks. 

A win today would only make this memorable season even more spectacular. It won't be easy against a UCLA team went 23-11 in the Big Ten. The Bruins are led by Tyler Bilodeau, who averages a team-high 17.6 points. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com