Central Florida @ Connecticut preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 11, 2017 ) Connecticut 66, Central Florida 63

An already-elite Central Florida defense has been particularly stingy of late, putting the Knights in position for their third four-game winning streak of the season entering Wednesday's encounter with host Connecticut. UCF has bounced back from a narrow loss to SMU in its American Athletic Conference opener with defensive gems in victories over East Carolina, Memphis and Temple.

The Knights come into the week as one of only three Division I schools allowing fewer than 59 points, thanks to an incredible three-game stretch during which they have limited opponents to an average of 44.7 points per game. Temple found out firsthand just how daunting a matchup with UCF can be, shooting 4-of-22 from beyond the arc while settling for a single free-throw attempt in Sunday's 60-39 setback. Next up is the first of two meetings this season with a Huskies team that halted a four-game losing skid Saturday with a 70-65 victory over East Carolina. Jalen Adams led the way with 18 points while Terry Larrier and Christian Vital poured in 16 apiece for UConn, which is hoping to build some momentum heading into an encounter with No. 1 Villanova on Jan. 20.

TV: 7 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network

ABOUT CENTRAL FLORIDA (12-4, 3-1 AAC): Keeping opposing teams away from the foul line has played a major role in the Knights' defensive dominance as Division I teams average just nine made free throws on 13 attempts against UCF this season, with both marks ranking third nationally. Offense has been a different story, however, with the Knights shooting just 30.9 percent from long range - 318th out of 351 qualified schools - and averaging a modest 65.4 points, ahead of only 19 other teams. Towering center Tacko Fall leads the active players on the team in scoring (11.6) and rebounding (7.6) while averaging two blocks and shooting 77.2 percent from the field.

ABOUT CONNECTICUT (8-7, 1-2): Adams has happily taken on more of the scoring burden for the Huskies this season, averaging 18.9 points per game - 4.5 better than his mark from a season ago. But Adams is shooting below 30 percent from 3-point range and he isn't alone in his long-range struggles, with UConn shooting just 30 percent from beyond the arc as a team - ahead of only 18 other Division I schools. Larrier contributes 15.9 points per game while shooting a team-best 39.4 percent from deep and he has reached double figures in scoring in eight consecutive games despite shooting below 50 percent in each of them.

TIP-INS

1. UCF averages just 14.8 fouls per game, eighth-fewest in the nation.

2. UConn has won seven consecutive meetings in the head-to-head series.

3. Fall has shot above 70 percent in 10 straight games.

PREDICTION: UCF 66, Connecticut 54