UCF Knights

The UCF Knights bring Orlando's growing basketball scene into the Big 12, playing home games at Addition Financial Arena. Once a club team that grew into a Division I program, UCF has steadily built its basketball profile as the university's overall athletics footprint has expanded. The Knights are still writing their national basketball story, but the move to a power conference has raised the program's ceiling considerably. UCF's basketball identity is one of ambition and momentum in a fast-growing athletic department.

UCF basketball began in 1969 as a club program under coach Torchy Clark and reached the Division II Final Four in 1978. After transitioning to Division I, the Knights made NCAA Tournament appearances in 1994, 1996, 2004, 2005, 2019, and 2026, with the 2018-19 team under Johnny Dawkins earning the program's first NCAA Tournament win. UCF's move to the Big 12 in 2023 marked the biggest step yet in the program's basketball history.