UCF hosts No. 17 Kansas following Fulks’ 24-point game

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

Kansas Jayhawks (10-3) at UCF Knights (11-1)

Orlando, Florida; Saturday, 2 p.m. EST

BOTTOM LINE: UCF hosts No. 17 Kansas after Themus Fulks scored 24 points in UCF’s 85-80 win over the Florida Atlantic Owls.

The Knights are 8-1 in home games. UCF is sixth in the Big 12 scoring 88.3 points while shooting 49.6% from the field.

The Jayhawks have gone 1-1 away from home. Kansas ranks eighth in college basketball with 28.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Flory Bidunga averaging 6.5.

UCF scores 88.3 points, 25.0 more per game than the 63.3 Kansas allows. Kansas has shot at a 46.8% clip from the field this season, 4.4 percentage points greater than the 42.4% shooting opponents of UCF have averaged.

The Knights and Jayhawks match up Saturday for the first time in conference play this season.

TOP PERFORMERS: Riley Kugel averages 1.8 made 3-pointers per game for the Knights, scoring 13.7 points while shooting 40.0% from beyond the arc. Jordan Burks is shooting 49.0% and averaging 14.1 points over the past 10 games.

Bidunga is averaging 14.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.2 blocks for the Jayhawks. Tre White is averaging 15.9 points over the last 10 games.

LAST 10 GAMES: Knights: 10-0, averaging 88.5 points, 38.6 rebounds, 17.6 assists, 6.9 steals and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 49.5% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 71.6 points per game.

Jayhawks: 8-2, averaging 74.1 points, 37.2 rebounds, 15.3 assists, 5.1 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 45.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 63.9 points.

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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

The Associated Press