Big 12 BYU/UCF Games Will Expand Cougars Brief History In Florida
Jan 12, 2024, 11:37 AM
BYU basketball will play a road game in Florida for only the fourth time in program history against UCF. (Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, Fla. – It’s not often BYU basketball travels to the state of Florida.
Saturday’s game at UCF will mark the first time since 1999 that BYU is playing a true road game in the Sunshine State. That’s when BYU traveled to face Florida International University.
BYU Basketball is playing its first road game in Florida since 1999
The Cougars won that game over FIU thanks to a career-high 26 points from Terrell Lyday.
Again, it’s rare for BYU to make trips to Florida.
Besides the FIU game in 1999, Saturday’s contest against UCF will be only the fourth true road game in Florida. The other two games were against the Miami Hurricanes.
#BYU at UCF in Orlando is the first true road game for the Cougars in the state of Florida since 1999 (Florida International).
BYU basketball is 1-2 all-time in road games played in Florida.#BYUHoops #Big12
— Mitch Harper (@Mitch_Harper) January 12, 2024
BYU lost both of the games to the Hurricanes in 1989 and 1959.
Outside of those three games, BYU also played in a multi-team event in 1991 at the now-demolished Orlando Arena, the former home of the Orlando Magic, in the Red Lobster Classic. They faced Florida and Michigan, splitting those two games.
To prepare for the farther-than-usual travel for the game against UCF, BYU flew into Orlando on Thursday night. Traveling two days in advance for a conference game is strange, but when you’re in a national league like the Big 12, that’s the norm now.
UCF will travel to Provo later this season on February 13.
BYU continues to look for its first Big 12 win. Coming into the season, this trip to UCF felt like one of the winnable games as the Knights were picked to finish last in the league.
After UCF took down No. 3 Kansas at home, it’s another example of no nights off in the Big 12 Conference.
No. 18 BYU vs. UCF
Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024
Tip: 2 p.m. (MT)/4 p.m. (ET)
TV: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KSL NewsRadio (102.7 FM, 1160 AM – Coverage begins at Noon with Cougar Sports Saturday from Orlando)
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12–3 p.m.) on KSL Newsradio. Follow Mitch’s coverage of BYU in the Big 12 Conference on X and Threads: @Mitch_Harper.
