Following UCF's first March Madness appearance  in six seasons and a 3-year extension for head coach Johnny Dawkins, expectations for the Knights are growing.

Despite losing solid production like Themus Fulks and Riley Kugel, who declared for the NBA Draft, the Knights were able to bring in some solid players in the transfer portal, while also retaining valuable pieces of last year's squad.

In this piece, I will predict the Knights' starting five for the upcoming season following the recent departures from Jordan Burks and Chris Johnson.

Dean joined the team in December, but it was too late for him to participate in the season.

After redshirting, Dean will provide Dawkins and the Knights with a veteran point guard presence with experience playing in the Big 12. 

Dean joins UCF after two years at Florida International and one year at Oklahoma State. Dean led all of Division I in steals (3.35 per game) during his 2023-24 season at FIU before serving as a critical rotational guard for the Cowboys two seasons ago.

He is also reuniting with his brother, Mister Dean, who transferred to UCF this past offseason.

Mister is a dynamic, young forward who has showed flashes of special scoring talent at the mid-major level.

While Johnson has done his work off the bench for most of his career, it will be tough to keep him off the floor if he can replicate his success with Tarleton State in his second tenure with the Knights.

With the Texans, Johnson averaged 24.0 points per game, shooting on stellar 50/47/85 splits.

Johnson showed the ability to take over games on multiple occasions, scoring 30-plus in seven appearances and eclipsing 40 twice.

Against Big 12 rival Baylor, Johnson exploded for 42 points, shooting an incredible 17-for-24 from the field. 

He followed up this flurry with 33, 29, and 27-point showings, with all three leading to wins.

Walker is a young, dynamic wing who took the country by storm with North Carolina A&T in his freshman campaign.

The 6-foot-6 combo guard averaged 18.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game, while earning All-CAA Third Team and All-Rookie Team honors last season. He finished second in the CAA in free throws made (187) and field goal percentage (50.8).

While Walker may begin the year coming off the bench, I think his scoring ability and consistent rebounding makes him too valuable to keep out of the first five.

Stillwell's situation is still fluid, as the NCAA has not made a decision about the current JUCO products in college and their additional eligibility.

However, he recently announced that if he is granted an extra year, UCF would be his choice.

If Stillwell can return next season, he would provide a gritty, double-double machine for the Knights. Stillwell's nine double-doubles were the most since Tacko Fall, while he also shot an efficient 50.4% from the field.

Stillwell has shown ability to score on the inside and the mid-range, while occasionally knocking down a 3-pointer. If he can improve from deep, Stillwell may carve out a role in the NBA thanks to his size and rebounding ability.

Bol was the youngest player who saw action for UCF last season, serving as the Knights' starting big man all year, despite only being a sophomore. 

Returning Bol was the biggest retention for the Knights, as the 7-foot rim protector has become a fan favorite and will be much more comfortable in his second season with the program.

Join our ROUNDTABLE community! It's free to join. Share your thoughts, engage with our Roundtable writers, and chat with fellow members.

Download the free Roundtable APP, and stay even more connected!