Memphis @ Central Florida preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 27, 2019 ) Central Florida 57, Memphis 77

Central Florida seeks revenge for its most lopsided loss of the season and tries to keep the pressure on the league leaders in the American Athletic Conference when it hosts Memphis on Saturday. The Knights have won two in a row and three of their last four since a 77-57 loss to the Tigers on the road last month.

A 13-point victory over South Florida on Wednesday has UCF 2 1/2 games behind first-place Houston and just a game back of second-place Cincinnati, the Knights' next opponent. "Really happy that our guys came out with a sense of urgency," UCF coach Johnny Dawkins told reporters after his team shot 54.5 percent against the Bulls. "They came out and they were focused right from the start." Memphis followed up the big win over the Knights with three straight losses, but it has rebounded with back-to-back victories against Connecticut and East Carolina. Senior guard Jeremiah Martin stayed hot with 31 points in Wednesday's 79-69 triumph over the Pirates.

TV: 6 p.m. ET, ESPN2

ABOUT MEMPHIS (15-10, 7-5 American): Martin had 10 points on 4-of-13 shooting in the win over UCF but is since averaging 24.8 in five games to boost his team-leading average to 17.1. "It gets to the point where you just worry less about it because you know at some point Jeremiah is going to come through," teammate Alex Lomax told reporters Wednesday. "... I'm just admiring it and enjoying the process. These are the moments I'll never forget, and hopefully, by my senior year I can do half as well as what he's doing now." Senior forward Kyvon Davenport is second to Martin in scoring (14.3) and first in rebounding (7.0) but was held to a season-low three points at East Carolina.

ABOUT UCF (18-5, 8-3): Center Tacko Fall put up a season-high 21 points to go along with nine rebounds and five blocks in Wednesday's win, and Dawkins sees a drive to finish strong in his 7-6 senior. "He played 26 minutes; I thought it was probably the most assertive 26 minutes he's played since I've coached him here," Dawkins told reporters of Fall, who went 9-of-21 from the foul line. "I felt his presence throughout the entire time he was out there on the floor. That's a tribute to him." Senior guard B.J. Taylor leads the team in scoring (16.5) and has recorded a season high with seven assists in each of his last three games.

TIP-INS

1. Fall leads the conference in field-goal percentage (75.6) and blocks (2.7).

2. Tigers F Mike Parks Jr. made all five of his shot attempts in Wednesday's win and is shooting 64.9 percent on the season.

3. UCF won four straight meetings prior to the loss at Memphis last month.

PREDICTION: UCF 77, Memphis 70