B.J. Taylor and UCF
UCF guard eager to build on clutch play, top Illinois
are poised to make history tonight with an NIT quarterfinal matchup vs. Illinois.
Whether he’s hitting a momentum-shifting 3-pointer, executing a head-turning crossover or icing a game with free throws, UCF guard B.J. Taylor always knows when to turn up.
During the past three games, Taylor has led his team in scoring and turns up his aggressive offensive moves in the second half.
Taylor said he likes high-pressure moments.
In fact, he lives for it and his teammates will be counting on those clutch plays again when No. 4 seed UCF hosts No. 2 seed Illinois in the quarterfinals of the NIT tonight. ESPN 2 will broadcast the game scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
In a tense situation against Illinois State Monday night, UCF coach Johnny Dawkins called for Taylor to run a box set play that would allow him to push the ball up the court quickly to either take a Hail Mary shot or distribute to a teammate. Although the Knights practice it often, they’ve only run the play in a game twice this season.
The first time was against UMass when Nick Banyard hit a game-winning 3-pointer with one second left.
On Monday, instead of going for a basket, Taylor noticed a weakness he could exploit in his defender.
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“Once I got to the sideline, I saw that the defender didn’t cut it off too well, so I just knew I could attack his hip and get the foul,” Taylor said. “I was glad the ref made the call and I was able to go to the line and knock down the free throws.”
His intense stare at the free-throw line as he hit the shots that would knock out No. 1 seed Illinois State spoke of a confidence and complete focus groomed by Dawkins and his staff all season.
Few people would have expected the UCF basketball team to be capable of digging itself out of an 18-point deficit — much less on the road — before the season started.
But the Knights’ impressive victory Monday night only cemented this is indeed a new team and new era for the UCF basketball program.
A victory against Illinois, a Big Ten team that was on the bubble for an NCAA Tournament bid and the highest seed remaining in the NIT field, would extend an already historic season that’s seen UCF advance to its first NIT quarterfinals.
The Knights stand just one win away from traveling to Madison Square Garden for the semifinals Tuesday.
But first, UCF has important business to handle at CFE Arena.
“We need to make sure that we stick to our defensive principles, we need to make sure that we focus on what got us here and I feel like we have to make sure that we don’t focus on the next step,” UCF senior guard Matt Williams said. “We just have to take care of Illinois and then after the game is over we can worry about our next step.”
Taylor said Dawkins does a good job of keeping players focused and grounded. There’s no talk about New York or potential titles or even yesterday.
“He always tells us if you don’t handle business tomorrow night, then none of that stuff in the future matters,” Taylor said.
For the seniors, the game represents one last chance to play in front of a home crowd.
The Knights are hoping for their first sellout, with tickets priced at $4 for students after the first 200 are admitted free of charge, $12 for the general public and $20 for club seats.
UCF’s largest previous announced crowd was 9,825 during a 2009 matchup with Memphis.
The school’s social media push to sell tickets received an endorsement from Orlando mayor Buddy Dyer. And Tuesday morning, UCF defensive lineman Jamiyus Pittman said he expected the entire football team to be in attendance to witness one of the greatest basketball runs in school history.
UCF’s win against Illinois State Monday night gave the program 23 wins, the third most in school history since becoming a Division I program.
“Like I’ve been saying, this is the best school in the country and I love the city of Orlando . . . . I think we’re becoming something that people can be proud of around here in this community and that’s what we want to be,” Taylor said. “We want to make Orlando proud and we want the city to come out and support us.”
“We want to make Orlando proud and we want the city to come out and support us.” UCF guard B.J. Taylor