February 28, 2026; Orlando, Florida, USA; UCF Knights guard Temus Fulks (1) scores in the first half against the Baylor Bears at Addition Financial Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Image UCF coach Johnny Dawkins knows his Knights can’t afford to sulk about Saturday’s home loss to Baylor.
The Knights (20-8, 9-7 Big 12) face Oklahoma State (17-12, 5-11) on Tuesday in Big 12 action in Orlando, Florida.
UCF, which experts predict will be between an 8th and 10th seed in the NCAA Tournament, can no longer afford to make mistakes. The Knights conclude the regular season Saturday at West Virginia.
UCF went on a 17-6 run to tie Baylor with 25 seconds left, then Obi Agbim’s free throw with 1.3 seconds left sealed the 87-86 victory.
The Knights were on a three-game winning streak at the time, including a 97-84 win. 19 BYU.
“We have to be ready to move on to the next play,” Dawkins said. “This league is very challenging from start to finish. As I’ve said all season, every team has been very good since we’ve been in the Big 12. You have to move forward and understand that the next game is the most important game. You have to understand that the game behind you is gone, the next game is the most important and you have to stay in the moment.”
The Knights continue to have a balanced scoring attack led by seniors Riley Kugel (14.5 ppg) and Temus Fulks (14.1 ppg). Jordan Burks is averaging 13.4 points per game and Jamichael Stillwell leads the team with 11.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
Oklahoma State lost 91-68 in Cincinnati, where road issues persisted. The Cowboys are just 2-7 minutes away from home this year.
“We didn’t have a good performance (Saturday),” coach Steve Lutz said. “We didn’t play our best basketball. Now we have to go home and figure out what the next step is. I like the direction our team is headed and I see good things ahead for Oklahoma State basketball in the near future.”
The Cowboys are led by senior guard Anthony Roy, who averages 16.3 points.
Pasa Pala, who led the team with six rebounds per game and was averaging 14.7 points, is out for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) on a dunk following an overtime win over West Virginia on Feb. 24.
–Field level media
