UCLA coaches and players respect UCF's size, athleticism, and aggressive guard play, recognizing the Knights' significant leap into Big 12 competition.
The UCF Knights' (21-11, 9-9 Big 12) size, scoring and athletic profile received compliments from UCLA coach Mick Cronin and guards Skyy Clark and Donovan Dent during Thursday's media availability.
UCLA (23-11, 13-7 Big Ten) is the No. 7 seed in the East Region of the NCAA Tournament and will play the No. 10 seed UCF Knights on Friday. It is the first matchup between these two teams, but a quick film session for the Bruins gave them a good first impression of UCF.
"They're super athletic," Clark said. "They got a lot of scorers. They got some really good guard play. They got a super tall center, and they're super aggressive. The ISO ball, they can really take it off the dribble and everything. They got a really good point guard [Themus Fulks] as well. So, we're going to have to really lock in and stay in front of the ball."
Dent echoed the same sentiments as his teammate. Fulks, Riley Kugel, Chris Johnson and Carmelo Pacheco power UCF's guard play.
Fulks is the Knights' floor general, setting his teammates up for open looks and providing scoring when needed; he averages 6.7 assists per contest, which is 11th in the nation.
Kugel, Johnson and Pacheco are elite shooters for UCF, all shooting over 36% from three-point range. Johnson and Pacheco give coach Johnny Dawkins a spark off the bench, while Kugel leads the Knights in scoring with 14.7 points.
While Dent and Clark's compliments focused on UCF's play style and athletic traits, Cronin highlighted Dawkins — a familiar foe, whom he faced six times in the past — raising the program to new heights.
"Central Florida was mid-major basketball," Cronin said. "He's taken Central Florida, obviously, from the American conference to the Big 12, which is a massive jump. I coached in the American, massive jump. For them to have the year they had in that Big 12, and to be here, speaks to the job he's been able to do."
Dawkins helped UCF break its six-year NCAA Tournament drought, and the team's performance in conference play helped them achieve a goal they set for themselves in the preseason.
The Knights recorded major upsets against the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas Tech Red Raiders and the Brigham Young Cougars, showcasing the ability to play up to the challenge.
Facing some of the best competition college basketball offers helped prepare Dawkins and his squad for a high-stakes environment like the NCAA Tournament.
Dawkins and Cronin face off for the seventh time at the Xfinity Mobile Arena on Friday at 7:25 p.m. on TBS.