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Myron Medcalf, ESPN Staff Writer
After UCF upset No. 13 Texas A&M on the first day of the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, Knights fans enjoyed the first court-storming as they spilled out of the stands following a 64-61 win Monday.
And the Big 12 used the victory to poke the SEC on social media with a familiar phrase: “It Just Means More.”
👍 It Just Means More. pic.twitter.com/SKiA7xuhRA
— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 5, 2024
In 2016, the SEC began to use that phrase across all sports to announce its self-anointed supremacy.
This season, UCF was picked to finish 11th in the Big 12’s preseason poll, while Wade Taylor IV, an all-SEC first-team selection last season, and Texas A&M were projected to finish fifth in their league entering the season.
“Unbelievable environment,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said on the broadcast after the win. “Who wouldn’t want to be here playing in front of this crowd? Our student section is amazing. I’m just really, really happy for our guys. Our fans come out and they support us. Just seeing the evolution of our program over the years, I’m just really excited to see where this program can go.”
Taylor’s struggles — he finished 4-for-15 from the field with 13 points Monday — contributed to a tough road loss for a team that reached the NCAA tournament last season and battled top-seeded Houston until the final moments of overtime in the second round.
But Darius Johnson, a returning veteran for UCF who finished with 24 points and added the go-ahead bucket with 45 seconds to play, helped his team overcome a late double-digit deficit. Texas A&M led by 11 with 7:03 left.
Though Dawkins lost contributors from last season’s team who’d combined to score more than 30 points per game, he was confident in this group.
Upsets have been familiar for Dawkins & Co.
Last season, UCF won 17 games and missed the NCAA tournament, but the Knights also won the most games over ranked teams in school history. On Jan. 10, UCF fans stormed the court after a 65-60 victory over then-No. 3 Kansas. That team also beat Oklahoma and Texas Tech, both top-25 squads at the time.
After the first game of the season Monday, UCF clearly remains a threat for more upsets.
“The one thing about our guys is that they compete,” Dawkins said. “We beat a really good basketball team, an experienced team. I’m just really proud of our effort.”