The Central Florida Knights have captured the nation’s attention on the football field, and they may be in the process of doing the same on the basketball court. At the moment, it’s still easy for fans to find cheap UCF basketball tickets. But those days could soon be a thing of the past. Since making the jump from Division II to Division I in 1985, the Knights continued to improve and take the program to new heights, slowly increasing the demand for last-minute UCF basketball tickets among a passionate fanbase.

Back in the Day

Once upon a time, UCF was known as Florida Technical University and played basketball at the Division II level. However, the Knights had a strong run during the 1970s and 80s under head coach Torchy Clark, who is the winningest coach in program history. Under Clark, the Knights eventually grew into a Division II powerhouse, making the NCAA Tournament six times in seven years, including a run to the Final Four in 1978. Despite retiring in 1983, Clark set the stage for the Knights to leap Division I in 1985.

Getting a Grip

After struggling for many years after making the move to Division I, Central Florida finally found its footing in the 1990s under head coach Kirk Speraw. In his first season, Speraw guided the Knights to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. He repeated that feat in 1996 and again in 2004 and 2005. By that time, the Knights had become one of the top programs in the Atlantic Sun.

Here’s Johnny!

Central Florida’s move to the American Athletic Conference in 2013 was not an easy one, at least on the basketball court. The Knights struggled to compete in the same league as some legitimate basketball powerhouses. But that started to change in 2016 when Johnny Dawkins took over. Dawkins coached the Knights to the NIT Semifinals in his first season at the helm. Two years later, the Knights reached the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team for the first time. They also won their first-ever NCAA Tournament game and nearly knocked off Duke in the Round of 32. Despite the loss, UCF’s performance was a clear indication that Dawkins has the Knights moving in the right direction.