



The UCF men's basketball team opens up the 2015-16 season Saturday night on the road against Davidson. The Knights and Wildcats clash at 7:30 p.m. live on Atlantic10.com.



Related: UCF Notes | Davidson Notes | Atlantic10.com



UCF head coach Donnie Jones enters his sixth season at the helm of the Knights' men's basketball program and is coming off a 12-18 season. The Knights return three starters in senior Staphon Blair and sophomores Adonys Henriquez and B.J. Taylor, who both received American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team honors last season.



Davidson head coach Bob McKillop embarks on his 27th season leading the Wildcats and sits just four wins away from 500 career victories (494-300). Last season, McKillop led the Wildcats to their eighth NCAA Tournament appearance under his tenure and the 13th in program history. Davidson returns four starters from last season's squad that finished 24-8 and won the Atlantic 10 Conference in their first season in the league.

OPENING ON THE RIGHT FOOT

- UCF has won 12 consecutive season openers with 2002 being its last season-opening loss on the road to Navy.

- The Knights open up on the road for only the fourth time in 16 years with their last one coming in 2012 against USF, which the Knights won, 74-56.

- Jones is 5-0 in season-openers at UCF with the average margin of victory being 23.8 points.



ALL-ROOKIES RETURN

- B.J. Taylor and Adonys Henriquez return after leading UCF in scoring as freshmen and earning American Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team honors.

Barry B.J. Taylor led UCF and all freshmen in The American with 12.8 points per game, ranking 10th overall in the conference.

- Taylor's 334 total points were the most for a UCF freshman since the 1995-96 season

- Adonys Henriquez played in and started all 30 games as a freshman in 2014-15. He logged more minutes (1,050) than any UCF freshman ever and ranks seventh in the school records for a single season.

- Henriquez was second on the team with 10.8 points per game and served as UCF's three-point specialist, making 65 treys from behind the arc with a .395 three-point percentage.



STUFF-ON BLAIR

- Staphon Blair recorded 38 blocks last season and ranks fifth in UCF's career record book with 99. He is eight away from surpassing Issac McKinnon (1979-83), who tallied 106 during his career.

- Keith Clanton (2009-13) holds the UCF career blocks record with 227.



TRANSFERS IN PLAY

- UCF adds two talented transfers this season in redshirt sophomore A.J. Davis and junior Tanksley Efianayi.

- Davis, who transferred from Tennessee prior to last year, sat out 2014-15 due to NCAA rules. The 6-foot-9 forward is the son of former NBA star Antonio Davis.

- Efianayi comes to UCF from Daytona State, where he scored 20.3 points per game while earning NJCAA Second Team All-America honors.



WILLIAMS RETURNS FROM INJURY

- Redshirt junior Matt Williams returns to the court after suffering a wrist injury in the 2014-15 season opener.

- During his sophomore season, he made 56 threes and shot .384 from long distance.



Tacko Fall FACTS

- One of the 40 tallest living human beings in the world

- He is one of two current NCAA basketball players listed at 7-foot-6, joining UC Irvine's Mamadou N'Diaye, who is also from Senegal.



PICKED NINTH IN THE AMERICAN

- The Knights were selected to finish ninth in The American's preseason poll.

- SMU was picked as the league favorite after winning the conference last season. UConn and Cincinnati rounded out the top three.



BALLIN' IN THE BAHAMAS

- The Knights spent six days in the Bahamas this summer, playing three international teams. UCF went undefeated in all three matches, which were played with FIBA rules.



ACADEMIC SUCCESS

- UCF's Academic Progress Rate (APR) multi-year score for 2013-14 - announced this past May - was 958.

- It marked the highest score ever for the Knights' men's basketball team since the APR was introduced in 2004.



THE AMERICAN TOURNEY IN ORLANDO

- UCF will act as the host institution for the 2016 American Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Championship in Orlando.

- Scheduled for March 10-13, the event will be held at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic.