Central Florida @ Southern Methodist preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 11, 2017 ) Central Florida 59, Southern Methodist 70

Central Florida gets a big test to open American Athletic Conference play as it visits defending conference champion SMU on Wednesday. UCF enters on a five-game winning streak while the Mustangs have won three in a row.

The first meeting between the two this season pits a pair of teams that play strong defense. SMU enters conference play allowing 61.1 points per game, second in the AAC, and held 12 of its first 13 opponents under 70 points while the Knights are allowing 62.7 points through 12 games - third best in the league. UCF's five-game winning streak has been fueled by their defense, which has allowed 58.8 points per game during the run. But that will be tested by an SMU offense that averages 76.8 points, more than nine points higher than UCF.

TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (9-3): The play of center Tacko Fall has been a driving force behind the Knights recent success. In his past four games, Fall is averaging 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game while shooting 81.6 percent from the floor, recording three double-doubles as he was named AAC Player of the Week. The 7-6 Fall leads the nation with a 78.1 field goal percentage and tops the conference with 2.1 blocks per game.

ABOUT SMU (10-3): The Mustangs boast a 31-game winning streak on home court, the second longest home winning streak in the country. Since the 2013-14 season, SMU has lost just four times in 81 games at Moody Coliseum. In the 81 home games, the Mustangs have a scoring margin of more than 18 points and are shooting over 50 percent.

TIP-INS

1. SMU G Shake Milton leads the team in scoring (17.2) and has 167 career 3-pointers, which ranks fifth in AAC history and seventh in school history.

2. The two teams last met in the AAC tournament semifinals with SMU defeating UCF 70-59 in March.

3. UCF is 9-0 this season when scoring at least 60 points while 0-3 when failing to reach the 60-point mark.

PREDICTION: SMU 78, Central Florida 65