UCF Opens Season vs UNC Asheville: Players to Watch
The UCF Knights will open their final season as a member of the AAC at home vs the Big South Conference member UNC Asheville Bulldogs at 7 p.m. tonight.
The Bulldogs were 17-15 last season and played in the College Basketball Invitational postseason tournament. Here is a look at two players from each team to watch in this game, beginning with the Knights.
Taylor Hendricks - Forward
Plain and simple, Taylor is a player to watch because he is the highest rated recruit in UCF’s history as a program. Fans will be eager to see what the Knights can get from him, and the energy from the home crowd may ignite him to have a solid debut.
Hendricks was a stat-sheet stuffer in high school, and made an impact all over the court. Expect more of the same vs an Asheville team that will likely struggle to contain the Knights. Expect Hendricks to start and play a major role.
Darius Johnson - Guard
Darius Johnson is the definition of a competitor. Although the shooting numbers were not where they needed to be last season, Johnson proved to be a difference maker from the moment he began to get regular playing time.
From the ability to spread the ball around (5.3 assists per game over his last 10 games) to the defensive aggressiveness, Johnson has all but assured himself a starting role moving forward. Expect him to be efficient in this first game against a relatively weaker opponent.
Now, two Bulldogs to know.
Drew Pember - Forward
Pember is the best player on this Asheville team by a wide margin. He led the team in blocks, rebounds, and points last season. Pember accrued a number of accolades, including being named Big 12 player of the week 3 times, Big South Defensive Player of the year, and made the all-Big South first team. It is likely that he will be matched up with CJ Walker or Taylor Hendricks. UCF will need to try and keep the ball out of his hands as much as possible, and if they can do that they will be in good shape.
Taijon Jones - Guard
Jones scored 15.4 points per game last season and was the third-leading scorer for the Bulldogs. Jones poses a major threat from deep, and at a high volume (6.6 attempts per game). In fact, he shot twice as many three pointers as two-point shots in 2021-22. He hit a three-pointer in 28 of 32 games. Long story short, the Knights will need to keep the perimeter in check anytime Jones is in the game.
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