Southern @ Central Florida preview

The tenacious Central Florida defense looks to put the clamps down once again as the Knights host Southern on Saturday afternoon. UCF is hoping to build off a 65-62 upset at Alabama on Sunday.

The Knights held Alabama leading scorer Collin Sexton, who was averaging 24.7 points per game, to just seven points on 0-for-4 shooting from the field. UCF can play that type of smothering defense as the Knights give up an average of 65 points per game and hold the opposition to 38.4 percent shooting from the floor. That could make for a tough game for Southern, which is shooting just 38.7 percent from the field and has just three players shooting above 43 percent. The Knights have also defended the 3-point line, limiting teams to 34.3 from beyond the arc.

TV: 1 p.m. ET, ESPN3

ABOUT SOUTHERN (2-6): Senior forward Jared Sam is the catalyst for a Jaguars team that can put some points on the board. The 6-10 native from Baton Rouge, LA averages 16.6 points per game, seven more than any teammate, while pulling in 7.6 rebounds - two more than anybody else with Southern. Sam's 252 minutes played is 47 more than any other teammate while his 116 field goal attempts are 54 more than the closest Jaguar Eddie Reese.

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (5-3): Center Tacko Fall returned from an early-season injury and has been a force despite limited minutes. The 7-6 native of Senagal is third on the Knights at 10.2 points and is hitting 74.3 percent from the field on 35 attempts while playing fewer than 20 minutes per game. Fall has 11 blocked shots and is averaging six rebounds per game.

TIP-INS

1. UCF connected on a season-high seven 3-pointers in the victory against Alabama, bringing the number of 3-point conversions to 31 this season, and is shooting 26.7 percent from behind the arc.

2. The Knights hold a 316-282 rebound margin over their opponents this season.

3. UCF G B.J. Taylor, who has been out since suffering a fractured foot in the season opener, is expected to return before Christmas.

PREDICTION: UCF 70, Southern 59