ORLANDO — Florida Gulf Coast was "family" to Isaiah Malone last season. On Nov. 2, the Eagles are his opposition.

Malone, the 2025-26 ASUN Defensive Player of the Year, makes his UCF debut when the Knights kick off men's basketball season against FGCU. The 6-foot-9, 220-pound senior forward from LaGrange, Indiana, joined UCF on April 17 as its first transfer portal signee of the offseason.

"I honestly felt good that I was the first one they were looking at," Malone said. "The relationship, from the jump, I just felt like there was a connection."

Malone seamlessly made the leap from NAIA to NCAA Division I, playing his first two collegiate seasons at Saint Francis (Ind.). He led the ASUN with 64 blocks, and averaged 10.5 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.

"I wasn't good enough in high school to play at the highest levels, but I am now," Malone said. "I would say I could dribble the ball better. I played as a jit (young person), but I went to a small high school so there wasn't really any clout from it."

Knights head coach Johnny Dawkins valued Malone's versatility in the frontcourt and defensive intensity. In the team's exhibitions against LSU and Kentucky, Malone hit 7 of 18 field goal attempts — going 4 of 12 from 3-point range — while pulling down 12 boards.

"He's a player we think can play multiple positions," Dawkins said. "He can play some small-ball five (center) at our level, but he also can play some four (power forward) because he's long enough, he's mobile enough and he's a good-enough player with the basketball to be comfortable with him being out there doing the things we do in our offensive system."

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

UCF basketball scouting report

Unlike last season, the Knights do not have to work with a clean slate with regards to returning production. Top scorer Riley Kugel, starting center John Bol, 3-point specialist Carmelo Pacheco and backup big Elijah Hulsewe are among six players back in the fold from a 21-win squad that reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. Dior Johnson, in his second spell with UCF after spending one season at Tarleton State, topped the 20-point mark in both dress rehearsals against SEC competition. The Knights are coming off their best Big 12 showing to date, an eighth-place finish with a 9-9 league record, but they are projected for a 13th-place finish. That still could give them a shot to crack the expanded 76-team March Madness field.

— Chris Boyle, Daytona Beach News-Journal

Florida Gulf Coast basketball scouting report

FGCU enters its fifth season under Pat Chambers, coming off a 16-18 season record last year. The Knights defeated the Eagles 102-80 at home on Dec. 20, 2025, in the first meeting between the two programs in nearly 23 years. This year's Eagles will look quite different, with four of the five starters from last year’s matchup no longer on their roster. Junior guard Darren Williams is expected to take on a bigger role after playing significant minutes off the bench last season and starting 10 games. The sharpshooter connected on 50 three-pointers, making 35.7% of his attempts while playing less than 19 minutes per game. Fifth-year guard Elijah Brooks is expected to make an immediate impact after missing much of last season due to injury. Transferring from Houston Christian, Brooks played just eight games before getting hurt but thrived when he was on the court, averaging 12 points, 4.5 rebounds and three assists in 30.5 minutes per game.

— Kenneth Manoj, Naples Daily News

UCF basketball vs FGCU start time, TV channel

UCF tips off its men's basketball season opener against Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. from Addition Financial Arena in Orlando. The game will air on ESPN+. Austin Lyon will handle play-by-play responsibilities, BJ Taylor is the color analyst and Kamille Clark is the sideline reporter.

UCF basketball vs FGCU score predictions

UCF men's basketball schedule 2026-27

*- Big 12 game