UCF basketball releases nonconference schedule for upcoming season

As UCF men’s basketball prepares for Year 2 in the Big 12 , the Knights hope that beefing up their nonconference schedule will help them overcome a long and grueling season.

To that point, coach Johnny Dawkins built a schedule featuring three teams in the top 50 (Texas A&M, FAU and Wisconsin) of the NCAA rankings last season.

UCF (17-16, 7-11 Big 12) opens the season by hosting Texas A&M on Nov. 4.

It’s the first-ever meeting with the Aggies (21-15, 9-9 SEC), who lost to Houston in the second of the NCAA Tournament last season. It’s also the first of eight nonconference games at Addition Financial Arena.

“Buzz [Williams] has done an amazing job with his team there,” Dawkins told the Sentinel earlier this year. “I know how they’re going to play. They’re going to be tough-minded and they’re going to be physical. We wanted our guys to understand this is how you prepare for the Big 12.”

Knights basketball sticks to familiar blueprint for incoming transfer class

The Knights host Purdue Fort Wayne (23-13, 11-9 Horizon) before FAU (25-9, 14-4 AAC) on Nov. 12. The Owls are coming off back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament, including a Final Four two seasons ago.

UCF faces Tennessee Tech (10-21, 5-13 OVC) for the fourth time on Nov. 19, but the first since 2006.

The Knights travel to West Virginia to participate in the Greenbrier Tip-Off, where they’ll open against Wisconsin (22-14, 11-9 Big Ten) on Nov. 22. The Badgers lost to James Madison in the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament.

The team faces either LSU (17-16, 9-9 SEC) or Pittsburgh (22-11, 12-9 ACC) on Nov. 24.

Milwaukee (20-15, 12-8 Horizon), Cal-Baptist (16-17, 8-12 WAC) and Tarleton State (25-10, 16-4 WAC) travel to Orlando before a road trip to play in the Orange Bowl Classic.

UCF wraps up its nonconference schedule by hosting Jacksonville (16-17, 5-11 ASUN) on Dec. 21.

The Knights will play two preseason exhibition games: Florida Gulf Coast on Oct. 20 at Addition Financial Arena and a road game at Georgia nine days later.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

Nonconference schedule

Nov. 4 Texas A&M

8 Purdue-Fort Wayne

12 FAU

19 Tennessee Tech

22 vs. Wisconsin (at Greenbrier Tip-Off)

24 vs. LSU or Pitt (at Greenbrier Tip-Off)

27 Milwaukee

Dec. 1 Cal-Baptist

8 Tarleton State

14 vs. TBD (at Orange Bowl Classic)

21 Jacksonville

* Tipoff times will be announced later.