UCF Beats Temple, Cincinnati Bearcats Will Face Knights In AAC Tournament Opener
By Chris Bains
Jan 23, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bearcats forward Titus Rubles (2) celebrates after scroing during the second half against the Central Florida Knights at Fifth Third Arena. The Bearcats won 69-51. Mandatory Credit: Rob Leifheit-USA TODAY Sports
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We now know Cincinnati’s
victim
opponent
victim for tonight. It will be Central Florida who beat Temple in the wee hours of the morning 94-90 in double overtime. The Knights advance to face the Bearcats in their AAC Tournament opener at 7 pm. You can watch the game on ESPNU if you don’t have the good fortune of being in the FedEx Forum. It will also be simulcast on WatchESPN.
Cincinnati swept UCF this season and neither game was really all that close. The Bearcats beat the Knights in the first game by 18 points then drubbed them in the return trip 77-49. Sean Kilpatrick and Justin Jackson each had double-digit point nights in the last one as Cincinnati got meaningful contributions from nearly every player on the roster. But it was the defense that was the star that evening, forcing UCF to shoot under 30% from the field, 26% from three, and commit 16 turnovers.
Being the higher seed, UC will wear their new home black Adidas jerseys. The winner of that game will face the winner of UConn and Memphis (ESPNU), who will play following UC- in the semifinals. This will be air at 9:30 pm on ESPN or ESPN2, depending on what the Worldwide Leader prefers.