Knights secure a crucial first-round bye, setting up potential rematches and aiming for tournament vengeance as the season concludes.
With just two games left on the schedule, the Knights have positioned themselves for a top-six seed in the upcoming 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Tournament. Currently, UCF (20-8, 9-7 Big 12) sits as the six seed, earning a first-round bye.
The 2026 Phillips 66 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament is taking place at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City on March 10-14.
The current bracket shows UCF lying in wait for the winner of No. 11 seeded Colorado and No. 14 seeded Oklahoma State - two squads UCF has experience with this season.
The Knights jumped into position for a bye following their win over No. 19 BYU, jumping the Cougars in the Big 12 standings.
UCF will close out the season with a senior night matchup against Oklahoma State this Tuesday before traveling to Morgantown, WV, for a rematch against West Virginia.
Both of these teams got the best of the Knights earlier this season, providing UCF with the opportunity to split the season series and exact vengeance late in the year.
UCF's first road loss of the season came to the Cowboys in early January, falling 87-76 in an offensive struggle. The Knights struggled from all three levels, shooting just 38% from the field, 21% from 3-point range and 65% from the free-throw line.
Senior big man Parsa Fallah gave the Knights issues with his size, scoring a game-high 24 points. Junior point guard Kanye Clary also filled up the stat sheet, tallying 18 points, nine rebounds and eight dimes.
However, Fallah recently suffered a season-ending torn ACL, significantly weakening the Cowboys' front court.
The final regular season game for the Knights will be an away bout with West Virginia this Friday at 8:00 p.m. UCF lead most of the game in the squads' earlier matchup before squandering a double-digit lead in the second half.
The Mountaineers are led by senior point guard Honor Huff, one of the top 3-point shooters in the country. UCF held him in check most of the game in the first matchup, before cashing in two late long balls to salvage his night.
UCF should look to chase him off the line and force an undersized Mountaineers squad to score on the inside.
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