How To Watch Utah Basketball Vs. UCF Knights
Feb 21, 2025, 1:28 PM | Updated: Feb 22, 2025, 8:09 am
SALT LAKE CITY—Utah basketball is hoping to carry some momentum with them to Orlando this weekend, as the Utes are set to take on the UCF Knights.
After two re-energizing wins over Kansas and Kansas State, the Utes find themselves 15-11 overall, and 7-8 in Big 12 play.
The opportunity to add another quality win to the resume has to be a big motivator for the Utes this weekend.
Productive Friday morning meeting pre-business trip 😎🌴 pic.twitter.com/R9Lt4ZmOWm
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 21, 2025
How To Watch Utah Basketball Vs. UCF
Date: Sunday, February 23, 2025
Tip-Off: 2:00 pm (MST)
TV: ESPN+
Online: WatchESPN.com
Drew Fellios will have the call on ESPN+ beginning at 2 p.m. (MST) alongside former UCF Knight, BJ Taylor, as the Runnin’ Utes and Knights battle for the first time ever on US soil and just the second time in program history.
How To Listen To Utah Vs. UCF
Radio: ESPN 700 AM
Online: TuneIn.com
SiriusXM: Channel 381
Bill Riley will be on the play-by-play, and Sean Mooney will provide the color analysis on the air.
The fellas have been all over the glass 😎 pic.twitter.com/DdEW0nXmbj
— Utah Basketball (@UtahMBB) February 20, 2025
Utah’s shot at .500 in the Big 12
Under Smith, Utah has limped to the finish line in previous years. With wins over Kansas and Kansas State this past weekend, Utah has a chance to surge to the finish line.
With five games remaining in the regular season, the Runnin’ Utes are just one game under .500, sitting at 7-8 in Big 12 play.
All five games are quality opportunities; the road games are all quad 1, and the home games are quad 2.
For Utah to finish .500, they must go 3-2 over the remaining five games. That means Utah will need to win at least one on the road.
With UCF, Arizona, and BYU as those remaining road games, Utah’s best shot looks to be this weekend’s contest.
Utah has two home games against Arizona State and West Virginia, which aren’t easy contests.
Utah-UCF, by the numbers
| Utah | UCF | |
| 75.3 | Scoring Offense | 79.0 |
| 70.6 | Scoring Defense | 80.6 |
| 4.7 | Scoring Margin | -1.6 |
| 0.458 | Field Goal % | 0.455 |
| 0.332 | 3PT FG% | 0.338 |
| 0.324 | 3PT FG% D | 0.312 |
| 39.6 | Rebounds/Game | 36.2 |
| 4.7 | Rebound Margin | 2.3 |
| 17.9 | Assists/Game | 14.2 |
| 12.3 | Turnovers/Game | 12.3 |
| -1.6 | Tunrover Margin | .8 |
| 1.45 | AST:TO Ratio | 1.15 |
| 6.4 | Steals/Game | 7.4 |
| 4.0 | Blocks/Game | 4.3 |
The Need-To-Knows about the UCF Knights
A feisty 4-4 start in the grueling Big 12 has fizzled to a 4-11 mark, with seven straight losses. Perhaps it’s just life in the Big 12, as most of these games were competitive, UCF is a team teetering on the brink. That’s resulted in a 13-13 overall record and questions about the future under Johnny Dawkins.
Keyshawn Hall, a jumbo guard at 6-foot-7, 255 pounds, currently leads the Big 12 in scoring in conference games, averaging 21.1 points per game in league play. He’s shooting 50.7% from the field and 40% from deep over the last five games, he’s also grabbing 8.0 rebounds and dishing out nearly 2.0 assists per game.
Darius Johnson is averaging 15.1 points per game while shooting an impressive 41.5% from beyond the arc. He’s made multiple 3-point shots in 14 of his 25 games this season. He’s averaging over two makes per game from deep. Johnson is also second all-time in UCF history in steals and third for assists.
Jordan Ivy-Curry is a 6-foot-3 senior guard, who is averaging 13.7 points. He shoots it efficiently from deep at 34.2% but is particularly good at getting to the rim, and drawing contact.
Then keep an eye on 7-foot-2 freshman center Moustapha Thiam, who is averaging 2.5 blocks per game. His status is up in the air after missing the Oklahoma State game due to illness. Thiam is also knocking down 31% from 3-point range, which makes him a fascinating matchup.
