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"The UCF men’s basketball team will vie for a second consecutive win Saturday night when it hosts the South Florida Bulls.The Knights will try to carry over the momentum gained from their most recent game, but they will probably be in good shape if they can at least carry over the energy displayed in their most recent practice.Players took charges in the paint, then got up quickly to chase after and dive on loose balls at center court. As each man fell, got up, ran and dived, the court was encompassed by cheers and applause. Head coach Johnny Dawkins was clapping and pumping his arms as if his team had just won a conference championship.It’s a rare look at how UCF concludes every final practice prior to a game. Amid the fun atmosphere there is a message Dawkins continues to stress to his players.&amp;quot;Those are things that we believe are important to our success in building our program,” he said. “First to the floor, taking charges; people call them the little things, but they are really big things.“The guys understand what we&#039;re looking for from our players and the effort, the type of energy and the type of commitment that we&#039;ve got to have to be successful. That drill kind of emphasizes that for us.”The feeling around the Knights (10-7, 1-4 in the American Athletic Conference) is more joyous in general in the wake of their 19-point victory at Tulane on Tuesday. Their desperation to snap a five-game losing streak showed then, but the Knights realize they must continue to perform with that same sense of urgency.“Our back was against the wall for a while,” guard Dazon Ingram said, “but we&#039;re capable of so much more. I hope that&#039;s just a start for what we&#039;ve got coming.&amp;quot;Freshman guard Darin Green Jr. thinks that win might become a turning point in UCF’s season.“We&#039;ve got to keep going up from here,” he said.The Bulls (8-9, 1-3 in the AAC) were expected to make a move up the conference standings this year, but their best-laid plans were shredded when sophomore forward Alexis Yetna suffered a season-ending knee injury four days before USF’s first game. The 2018-19 AAC Freshman of the Year, Yetna set a conference record for rebounds in a season and averaged 12.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per game.Dawkins knows what it’s like to lose the focal point of his offense right at the start of a season; he dealt with it when guard B.J. Taylor fractured his foot during UCF’s opening game two years ago and missed eight weeks of action.“That&#039;s very tough because you&#039;ve prepared to play a certain way throughout the preseason, and all of a sudden, it gets thrown away,” Dawkins said. “Now you realize you have to make a total adjustment.”Bulls head coach Brian Gregory has made that adjustment, moving the focus of his squad to the backcourt and relying on the guard trio of David Collins, Laquincy Rideau and Ezacuras Dawson. Those three have taken nearly 60 percent of USF’s field goal attempts during conference play.The Bulls haven’t had much to brag about thus far, but close losses to Florida State and Memphis prove that they are no pushover. However, they did let a 14-point lead in the second half slip away during that defeat to the Tigers on Sunday.One Knight who is ready to introduce himself to the War on I-4 rivalry is Green. He was the Hillsborough County Player of the Year in 2019 while playing at Wharton High, located about 20 minutes from the Bulls’ home arena. Green attended many USF games while in high school and was sought after by both programs.Green cited UCF’s coaching staff and the program’s family environment as reasons he chose to sport black and gold instead of green and gold.“It would be a good win for us. Especially for me, playing against where I went to high school, against a school that also recruited me,” he said. “I think for me as well, this would be a good win.&amp;quot;Tipoff at Addition Financial Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.Freshman guard Dre Fuller Jr. went through some shooting drills Friday, but Dawkins said he probably won’t suit up Saturday.“I think he&#039;s still day-to-day. He&#039;s getting closer, but I don&#039;t think he&#039;ll be able to go tomorrow,” the coach said.Fuller has missed the past two games due to a groin injury that has actually been bothering him for about a month."
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