Knights 11-1 record gives them confidence

UCF men’s basketball heads into the Big XII 2025-2026 season with an 11-1 record, the best start in the program’s history under head coach Johnny Dawkins, who said it gives the team confidence and the belief that they can compete.

This achievement comes from a new roster—with the exception of redshirt senior Poohpha Warakulnukroh and junior big man Elijah Hulsewe—and Dawkins praises the team for navigating through the challenges of developing chemistry and continuity.

“I give these guys a lot of credit for trusting us, developing a relationship with each other and competing the way they have,” Dawkins said. “What we want to do is continue to carry that over into conference play.”

Even with a record-breaking start, the Knights are not underestimating their first opponent in the conference, the Kansas Jayhawks.

In the Big XII, Kansas is considered one of the nation’s top defensive units as they lead the conference in team defensive rebounds, averaging 30.6 per game, according to the Big XII 2025-2026 Men’s Basketball Overall Statistics.

Kansas also leads in opponent field goal percentage of 0.366 and opponent three-point field goal percentage of 0.252, the overall statistics state.

Dawkins said his team needs to make sure to understand the importance of working together when they’re out on the floor.

“[Kansas] is very good defensively and because of that, they can force you into taking some tough shots and shots that may be more ill-advised,” Dawkins said. “We have to have more poise amongst ourselves as individuals on the court, play for each other, and try to search out the best opportunities.”

Dawkins mentioned several Kansas players specifically, including freshman forward Bryson Tiller and senior guard Tre White, saying they had moments in the non-conference schedule where they’ve stepped up and helped the Jayhawks win and play well in games.

“I know we talk about their defensive prowess and what they can do there, but they’re a good offensive team as well,” Dawkins said. “The challenge for us is going to be to make sure we understand the importance of every possession—whether it’s offensively or defensively—and make sure that we’re focused on that one possession and looking to do the best we can in that position.”

However, the Jayhawks are not the only team with a defensive presence, as UCF ranks first in team offensive rebounds with an average of 14.5 per game, according to the Big XII 2025-2026 Men’s Basketball Overall Statistics.

This is largely due to senior forward Jaimichael Stillwell, who leads the team with 48 offensive rebounds as well as 58 defensive rebounds.

“Our identity is to hunt. Hunting comes with talking, communicating, and wanting to do the things that nobody wants to do. That’s what we live by,” Stillwell said. “Shots might not be falling tomorrow. [With] offensive rebounds, you get another chance.”

Despite Kansas being ranked seventeenth in the most recent men’s college basketball rankings, UCF players such as junior forward Jordan Burks remain focused on what’s to come.

“Every game we play is a championship game because we’re in it,” Burks said. “We don’t look at what’s on the front or the back of the jersey. Our biggest competition is ourselves, so we’ve got to come dialed in and play UCF basketball.”

Ultimately, Dawkins is adamant about the team understanding the importance of getting stops and rebounds going into their first match.

“We want to start better, not just offensively, but start better defensively for us, where we’re understanding what we want to do defensively, understand the game plan, and just executing that as we start,” Dawkins said. “That’s something that we talk to our players about—how we start.”

UCF begins its first game of the Big XII conference schedule at home against the University of Kansas, Saturday, January 3rd, at 2 p.m.