UCF Knights Face Crucial Showdown with No. 19 BYU

The Knights look to sweep their 2-game Utah road trip with a win over the Cougars on Tuesday night.

Feb. 23, 2026 at 7:53pm

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UCF basketball is set to conclude its 5-day, 2-game trek in Utah with a showdown against No. 19 BYU at the Marriott Center in Provo on Tuesday night. The Knights are coming off a nail-biter against Utah, where point guard Themus Fulks nailed two free throws with 3 seconds left for a 73-71 win over the Utes. UCF is hoping for a sweep of their Utah road trip with a victory over the Cougars.

Why it matters

This game is crucial for UCF's NCAA Tournament hopes, as the Knights look to bolster their resume with another Quad 1 win. A victory over the ranked Cougars would move UCF one step closer to locking up a spot in the 68-team field.

The details

UCF shot 53% from the field against Utah, scoring 18 points off of 11 Utes' turnovers. The Knights were without starter Riley Kugel, who suffered a lower leg injury in the previous game. BYU is 13-2 at home this season, led by freshman forward AJ Dybantsa, who leads the Big 12 in scoring at 24.6 points per game. The Cougars will be without senior guard Richie Saunders, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

  • UCF and BYU will face off on Tuesday night (February 25, 2026) at the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.
  • UCF defeated Utah 73-71 on Saturday (February 22, 2026).
  • UCF's Riley Kugel suffered a lower leg injury in the team's 82-71 win over TCU on February 17, 2026.

The players

Themus Fulks

UCF's point guard who scored a game-high 24 points in the win over Utah.

Jordan Burks

UCF forward who added 14 points in the win over Utah.

Riley Kugel

UCF's starting guard who is tied with Fulks for the team lead in scoring at 14 points per game, but missed the Utah game due to a lower leg injury.

AJ Dybantsa

BYU's freshman forward who leads the Big 12 in scoring at 24.6 points per game.

Robert Wright

BYU's sophomore guard who is averaging 18 points per game.

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What they’re saying

“That's important for us. I thought we did a good job in that area, gaining some points. Definitely creating points off turnovers is a big, big part of what we want to do.”

— Johnny Dawkins, UCF Head Coach

“It just shows how good this league is and it's a gauntlet every single night, every opponent. It's just a function of how I thought our guys did a great job just finding a way at the end to make plays and win the game.”

— Johnny Dawkins, UCF Head Coach

What’s next

UCF will return home to host Baylor on Saturday (February 28, 2026) and Oklahoma State (March 3, 2026) before wrapping up the regular season on the road at West Virginia (March 6, 2026).

The takeaway

This game against No. 19 BYU represents a crucial opportunity for UCF to bolster its NCAA Tournament resume with a Quad 1 win. A victory would move the Knights one step closer to locking up a spot in the 68-team field and cap off a successful road trip through Utah.