Addition Financial Arena was filled to the rafters on Saturday as fans turned out in force to welcome a new season of Big 12 basketball.
A near-sellout was expected, courtesy of a hot start by UCF and the appearance of No. 17 Kansas. A sea of blue and red washed over much of the lower bowl of the 9,000-seat venue as KU fans showed up in large numbers to catch a glimpse of this season’s Jayhawks.
Knights fans were eager to see if this year’s team could live up to the early excitement as the team entered the game winners of 10 straight and off to one of its best starts in program history.
The atmosphere lived up to a conference opener as fans were on the edge of their seats until Jordan Burks’ 3-pointer with 41 seconds left helped UCF upset Kansas 81-75, sending fans spilling onto the court in celebration.
UCF (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) has won 11 consecutive games for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
The Knights also ended a three-game skid against Kansas, earning their first win over the Jayhawks (9-4, 0-1 Big 12) since a 65-60 victory on Jan. 10, 2024.
UCF won the opening tip and guard Themus Fulks shook off a Kansas defender, racing to the basket for the game’s opening points.
It was a back-and-forth affair early as KU freshman guard Darryn Peterson, considered one of the top prospects in the upcoming NBA draft, scored 11 points in the first seven minutes.
UCF weathered a long-distance barrage as Kansas connected on 5 of its first 8 3-point shots, building a 6-point lead. However, the Knights made an 11-4 run to retake the lead at 24-23, sparked by Riley Kugel, who scored 8 straight points.
The Knights stretched the lead to as many as 7 at 36-29 before Kansas made a run to slice the advantage to 44-41 at the half. Peterson scored 11 points in the final five minutes, finishing the half with a career high of 23 points.
UCF started the second half as it did the first, with Fulks weaving past Kansas defenders for a layup. The Knights scored 4 straight points to extend their lead to 48-41.
But the Jayhawks went on a 10-4 run to pull within 1 at 52-51.
Every time UCF built a lead, Kansas made a run to keep the game close.
Both teams went nearly four minutes without a point until UCF forward Burk’s layup stretched the Knights’ lead to 68-61 with 5 minutes left. A pair of free throws by Fulks gave the team its largest lead of the game at 70-61.
Kansas put together a 9-0 run to claw back and tie the game at 70.
Kugel led the Knights with 19 points while Fulks had 16 and Burks had 14.
Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.
