UCF men’s basketball team tips off its third season in the Big 12 with a familiar rival, as the Knights are set to host Kansas on Jan. 3, 2026.

The Jayhawks have made two previous trips to Addition Financial Arena, facing a tough 65-60 loss in 2023, followed by a 99-48 rout of UCF in 2024. The conference portion of the schedule was released Tuesday.

The Knights will play seven conference teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament last season: Houston, Texas Tech, BYU, Arizona, Iowa State, Kansas and Baylor.

A Jan. 11 home contest against rival Cincinnati features the return of former UCF center Moustapha Thiam, who transferred in the offseason to the Bearcats’ program.

The Big 12 returns to a traditional 18-game schedule this season, after briefly going with a grueling 20-game schedule in the 2024-25 season. The format provides teams with additional open dates, something coach Johnny Dawkins is looking forward to.

“It will be helpful, because you get a chance to get a little bit more rest and recovery, at least at some point during the season,” Dawkins told the Sentinel back in July. “At least one bye week in there would be probably good for your athletes to kind of catch their breath going through a bad stretch or injuries, gives you a little more time to recover from it.”

UCF will have a six-day hiatus between its road contest at Cincinnati on Feb. 8 and its home showdown with West Virginia on Feb. 14.

The Knights are preparing for the upcoming season with a revamped roster that features 13 new faces, including 11 players acquired through the transfer portal. The only returning members from last season are reserves Poohpha Warakulnukroh and Elijah Hulsewe.

Last season, UCF (20-17, 7-13) wrapped up its campaign in 12th place in the Big 12, marking its second year in the conference. They earned a spot in the inaugural Crown Invitational Tournament, where the Knights made it all the way to the championship game, ultimately falling short against Nebraska with a score of 77-66.

2025-26 UCF men’s basketball schedule

Oct. 21 — at Duke (exhibition)Nov. 3 — HofstraNov. 8 — VanderbiltNov. 11 — FAMUNov. 14 — at Texas A&MNov. 17 — OaklandNov. 20 — vs. Pittsburgh#Nov. 25 — QuinnipiacNov. 29 — VMIDec. 7 — TowsonDec. 17 — MercerDec. 20 — Florida Gulf CoastDec. 23 — FAU%Jan. 3 — KansasJan. 6 — at Oklahoma StateJan. 11 — CincinnatiJan. 14 — at Kansas StateJan. 17 — ArizonaJan. 20 — at Iowa StateJan. 24 — at ColoradoJan. 27 — Arizona StateJan. 31 — Texas TechFeb. 4 — at HoustonFeb. 8 — at CincinnatiFeb. 14 — West VirginiaFeb. 17 — TCUFeb. 21 — at UtahFeb. 24 — at BYUFeb. 28 — BaylorMarch 3 — Oklahoma StateMarch 6 — at West Virginia

Times will be announced at a later date# Legends Classic at Ocean Center in Daytona Beach% Festiball – Neutral Site TBD

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.

https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2025/09/23/ucf-knights-mens-basketball-big-12-schedule-released/