ORLANDO — The UCF Knights are back in men's basketball action Nov. 13 with the second of their consecutive showdowns against teams from the Sun Belt.

UCF (3-0) hosts Georgia Southern (1-2) at 8 p.m. in the Addition Financial Arena. The Knights shook off a slow first half to defeat South Alabama 76-69 earlier in the week, while Georgia Southern fell at home in overtime 97-91 to Mercer.

Here's a preview of Friday's game, including where to find it on TV and predictions from UCF reporter Chris Boyle and News-Journal sports editor Chris Vinel.

UCF basketball scouting report

UCF countered South Alabama's "amoeba zone" defense with a 3-point barrage, going 17 of 38 from long range — just two field goals shy of the program record set last December. Carmelo Pacheco nailed a career-high eight 3s, matching Dior Johnson for the team lead with 24 points.

Johnson is shooting 65.9% from the field, 58.8% from 3-point range and 83.3% from the free throw line. He averaged 2.9 points per game while coming off the bench for UCF two seasons ago.

However, the Knights lost the battle on the boards for the second time in three games, surrendering 15 offensive rebounds that South Alabama converted into 18 second-chance points. It might not be an issue against mid-majors, but it's a troubling trend that power-conference opponents could soon exploit.

— Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal

Georgia Southern basketball scouting report

Georgia Southern comes into the season poised to keep improving under fifth-year head coach Charlie Henry. Last season, the Eagles finished with a 21-16 record and went 8-10 in Sun Belt conference matchups. The highlight of last season came in Georgia Southern's Sun Belt tournament run, where it won five straight games before running out of gas in the championship and falling to Troy.

This season, the Eagles have only four returning players from that tournament championship roster. The preseason Sun Belt coaches' poll predicted them to finish ninth in the conference.

Preseason second-team guard Dallas Gardner is averaging a double-double with 17.3 points and 10.3 assists per game. Gardner scored 28 points in the overtime loss to Mercer and was a major reason the Eagles kept it close down the stretch. Stephen F. Austin transfer Eltramon Smith has emerged as the Eagles' leading scorer, averaging 19.7 points through the first three games.

— Colby Zak, WSAV-TV

UCF vs Georgia Southern basketball game start time, TV channel

UCF tips off its men's basketball matchup with Georgia Southern at 8 p.m. from Addition Financial Arena in Orlando. The game will air on ESPN+. The broadcast crew consists of Austin Lyon (play-by-play), BJ Taylor (analyst) and Ainsley Clifford (sideline reporter).