Green Bay @ Central Florida preview

Central Florida gets set for game two of its four-game homestand Tuesday with a visit from Green Bay in the teams' first ever meeting. UCF has won three in a row for the first time this season after easily handling NJIT 78-65 Saturday on the heels of big victories over Pepperdine (78-65) and Charleston (77-56).

All five UCF starters - Ceasar DeJesus (15), Dazon Ingram (13), Dre Fuller Jr. (13), Collin Smith (11) and Darin Green Jr. (11) - scored in double figures against NJIT as the Knights spread the wealth around in a game they at one point led by 27 late in the second half. "I like that balance," head coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters afterward. "Depth is a strength of ours and I think it was evident today. Five guys in double figures. … I don't know how many times in my career here that has happened, but it hasn't happened too often." In fact, it last happened a year ago at home against SMU, but none of the players from that contest - Tacko Fall, BJ Taylor, Chad Brown, Terrell Allen and Aubrey Dawkins - are with the team this season as UCF returned just three players with any experience as a Knight from a year ago. The Phoenix come in for the finale of their four-game roadtrip and they have lost their last two after falling to Eastern Illinois 93-80 last time out.

TV: 8 p.m. ET, No TV

ABOUT GREEN BAY (3-6): Four players are averaging in double figures for the Phoenix, with JayQuan McCloud (15.2) and Amari Davis (15.1) leading the way, followed by PJ Pipes (career-best 11.6) and Kameron Hankerson (10.1). McCloud has hit double digits in all nine games this year, including a team-high 17 in the loss to Eastern Illinois, and he tops Green Bay in rebounds for the season with 4.7 per game after grabbing seven against the Panthers. The Phoenix are hitting 46.3 percent of their shots from the floor, the school's highest percentage since the 1993-94 season, and the team has shot over 50 percent in three games this season.

ABOUT UCF (6-2): Smith (14.9) leads a trio of Knights in double figures for the season, with Ingram (10.9) and Green (10.3) followed closely by DeJesus (9.9), the team's leading scorer in two of the last three games. Ingram, a graduate transfer from Alabama, paces UCF with 6.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game and over the last five outings, he has totaled 23 assists and just three turnovers. UCF is shooting 50.6 percent from the field and holding teams to just 38.3 percent during the three-game winning streak, with the defense proving especially stingy in allowing just 27.3 percent of opponents' 3-point shots.

TIP-INS

1. UCF is outscoring opponents by 15.7 points during its three-game run.

2. If the Knights win Saturday, then they will have won at least seven of the first nine games in three of the last four years.

3. The Phoenix have scored at least 70 points in every game but the season opener against Purdue (57).

PREDICTION: UCF 76, Green Bay 67