Opponent: Georgia Southern (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt)

TV/Streaming: ESPN+ (Play-by-Play: Austin Lyon, Analyst: BJ Taylor, Sideline: Ainsley Clifford)

Radio: FM 96.9 FM / AM 740 (Play-by-Play: Marc Daniels, Analyst: Taylor Young)

Live Twitter/X Updates: @itsBrysonTurner and @UCFKnightsOnSI

Odds: UCF is a 22.5-point favorite, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Series History: UCF leads the series, 4-1 (Last Meeting: Dec. 11, 2018)

Three Things To Know:

1. Projected Starting Lineups

Should the Eagles' starting lineup stay this way at tip-off, it is going to mark the second start of the season for Dallas Gardner.

2. Know Thy Foe

Georgia Southern is arriving in Orlando off the heels of an overtime loss to Mercer, 97-91.

The Eagles are led in the backcourt by guard Dallas Gardner, who was named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team. He made his on-court debut with the Eagles this season after missing all of the 2025-26 season due to injury. Before that, he averaged 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in 2024-25 for UNC Pembroke, a Division 2 school, helping lead the team to a conference title and a berth in the NCAA Southeast Regional Final.

Meanwhile, in the frontcourt, Georgia Southern is being led by forward Eltramon Smith, who leads the team with 19.7 points per game so far this season. This is Smith's first season with the Eagles after coming off the bench in 16 games for Stephen F. Austin in 2025-26, appearances in which he averaged 6.9 minutes per game.

3. This is Dior's World

Guard Dior Johnson has taken control of the UCF's offense to start the season. His 44 total shots from the floor account for 24.3% of all of the Knights' shot attempts from the floor so far this season, and his 93 points make up 35.9% of the Knights' total offense through three games.

Going into Friday's game, fellow guard Artruo Dean's 31 points are the second-most points on the Knights so far this season. Johnson's total points so far this season are exactly three times that.