There’s a moment during every game day at Acrisure Bounce House that David Hansen pauses for a little perspective.

For the last two decades since he helped open the gates and usher in the sell-out crowd for the stadium’s opening day in 2007, he has climbed to the highest row in a corner next to the student section to take in the view of the 40,000-plus in front of him.

“I wanted to see the big picture,” says Hansen, who served several roles key for �鶹ӳ����ý Athletics from 2006-24 and now is the director of the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village and general manager of Knights Plaza Retail and Entertainment District. “Game day brings people together. I’ve heard so many stories of alums that live 10 minutes from each other, but their lives are busy — kids are going to school, they’re going to work, they’re traveling and never get to see each other than game day.

“It’s the one time that we put everything else aside. That’s the great thing about sport and why the stadium and our athletics village have been so instrumental to our culture and rise as a university.”

Hansen joined �鶹ӳ����ý in 2006 as senior associate athletics director for internal operations and was responsible for executing the stadium operational plan to bring game day to life on campus for the first time.

As the Bounce House celebrates its 20th season, Hansen reflects on the impact it has had on Knight Nation and the community at large.

Sprint to the Start

On Sept. 15, 2007, the stadium welcomed 45,622 through its gates for the kickoff against University of Texas. Hansen, who had been in constant motion since before sunrise, rushed to the field just in time for the national anthem and flyover.

He recalls seeing longtime athletics administrator Art Zeleznik with tears streaming down his face.

“I know everyone felt that way in the stadium at that moment. This university had been wanting this day for years, and we were all hit with the realization that it was finally really happening,” Hansen says. “We’re about ready to kick off game No. 1. That was special.”

Beyond constructing the stadium, the operational blueprint was just as crucial to make game day on campus a reality. From parking logistics to implementing a credentialing system to managing traffic flow to public safety and everything in between, �鶹ӳ����ý personnel were navigating uncharted territory.

“We had a really good, young stadium operations support staff, but we had never hosted a major college football game before,” Hansen says. “A lot of places get a several year runway for this. We had barely a year to put it together.”

After the game, Hansen put together a five-page list of items that would need to get addressed or corrected before game two.

“I never had a list that long again,” he says. “It was impossible to fully rehearse ahead of the opener, and there were several unknowns. But we knew it was going to be that way. We just had to work together and do our best. We’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years of executing game days at the scale and magnitude of the Bounce House, and it has been a truly collaborative effort between athletics, the university and community partners to build Orlando into a Power 4 town.”

An Interactive Stadium

The legend of the “Bounce House” was born as the seconds ticked off the scoreboard clock in the lead up to kick off while fans bopped to Zombie Nation’s Kernkraft 400.

Hansen felt Roth Tower moving. He saw people having fun with it. He also saw questions in their eyes.

“I made some engineering friends real quick who said, ‘This is normal. This is really more of a bridge than a building structurally, so it’s designed to move like this.’ That made me feel better,” he says.

The stadium has evolved through the years, but it continues to be the Bounce House — so much so that is has now become a part of the stadium’s official name.

“I call it an interactive stadium. Fans can actually get it to move and most stadiums you can’t do that,” he says. “Having the home field advantage played a big part in the team earning multiple conference championships, a series of elite bowl games and ultimately inclusion in one of college football’s premier leagues. Our fanbase has grown into one of the most passionate and disruptive in the country. And the on-campus stadium was a big facilitator of that.”

Athletics Village Is Born

Most places would consider opening one stadium enough of an undertaking. Most places are not �鶹ӳ����ý.

In the same week the football stadium opened, the 10,000-seat basketball and event facility, Addition Financial Arena, living spaces for 2,000 students and the surrounding Knights Plaza with 80,000 square feet of retail space opened their doors, too.

“The Athletics Village has become a true entertainment and retail district and a great destination and asset for the university,” Hansen says. “Today, a lot of universities are building those for the first time. We launched ours 20 years ago.”

Now that the Roth Tower project is complete thanks in large part to Orange County’s $90 million investment, Hansen’s top priority is revamping the Knights Plaza district.

“We are working to noticeably enhance that area and make it more of a destination, not just for game day, but for every day,” Hansen says. “We’ve got some special plans for that.”

The Vision

When the stadium opened, �鶹ӳ����ý was in its infancy of Conference USA, but the university and athletics department envisioned one day reaching the top echelon of collegiate athletics. So the stadium and Athletics Village were strategically planned to evolve as �鶹ӳ����ý did.

Over the years, we’ve seen transformations to match our rise to the Big 12 with the addition of the Carl Black and Gold Cabana, field cabanas, the Stadium Club, west stadium loge seating, the new Nicholson Plaza and more.

“A lot of stadiums around the country can’t do those things because they are older concrete structures that just can’t change without massive cost or overhauls,” Hansen says. “Here we can. We just proved it again with the new Roth Tower.”

Game Day and Career Ready

Over the last 20 years, the Athletics Village has built community and provided student-athletes with opportunities to showcase their talent while representing �鶹ӳ����ý worldwide. The village has also served as an extension of �鶹ӳ����ý’s mission to equip students with the knowledge, skills and aptitudes that align with the workforce of the future, offering paid opportunities to gain industry experience.

Ryan Gustafson ’25 is just one of many success stories. He was a freshman majoring in biology who needed extra cash when he applied to a part-time job for the athletics facilities, events and operations team. The decision radically shaped his future.

He found purpose and switched his major to event management. In addition to learning from a , he gained practical experience in producing �鶹ӳ����ý Knights’ events and coordinating with some of the biggest brands in athletics.

“There’s a culture here that people want to stay and do their part to make it the best.” — Ryan Gustafson ’25

He has supported the Roth Tower project since it broke ground. He has worked hand in hand with the United States Tennis Association at its national campus in Lake Nona where �鶹ӳ����ý’s �����’s and wo�����’s tennis teams compete. When FIFA needed training sites in Orlando for its 2025 Club World Cup, Gustafson was one of the go-to personnel on hand to support the elite international soccer clubs using our facilities.

By the time he graduated in December 2025, he had made the most of the opportunities he experienced as a student and earned himself a full-time position as a �鶹ӳ����ý facilities, events and operations coordinator.

“There’s a culture here that people want to stay and do their part to make it the best,” he says. “I always told myself I would end up at �鶹ӳ����ý, and getting an opportunity right out of college was a dream.”

Two decades ago, �鶹ӳ����ý opened an on-campus stadium that embodied the ambition of a spirited university and the belief of its fanbase. Today, the opening of the new Roth Tower marks the next chapter in that story, celebrating the rise of Knight Nation, �鶹ӳ����ý’s trajectory as the youngest institution in a Power Four conference and the momentum still ahead.

The Roth Tower project, made possible by a $90 million commitment of Tourist Development Tax revenues from the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, represents a pivotal addition to the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village that strengthens Orange County as a premier destination for sports tourism and community engagement.

“The new Roth Tower would not be possible without Orange County’s $90 million investment, and we are deeply grateful to Mayor Demings and the Board of County Commissioners for their belief in �鶹ӳ����ý,” says �鶹ӳ����ý President Alexander N. Cartwright. “That investment, together with the commitment of our donors, fans and community, helped make this next chapter of the Bounce House possible. Today, we are delivering a community asset designed to bring people here, bring them back and create lasting value for Orange County.”

Born to Bounce

Since its opening in 2007, Acrisure Bounce House has allowed �鶹ӳ����ý to showcase the momentum and trajectory of one of the country’s fastest-growing universities.

For years the idea of an on-campus stadium at �鶹ӳ����ý was a dream that many had said could never come true. �鶹ӳ����ý President John C. Hitt and several prominent �鶹ӳ����ý supporters, including the tower’s namesake, Jerry and Susan Roth, saw the vision of what an on-campus stadium could be. They believed the football program and a stadium could help elevate the university and its brand.

In the last 20 years of the Bounce House, �鶹ӳ����ý has captivated audiences on nationally televised primetime broadcasts; welcomed premiere college football shows �����ʱ�’s College GameDay and �󰿳�’s Big Noon Kickoff; hosted conference championships that catapulted the Knights to New Year’s Six bowl games; and has become a not-to-be-missed atmosphere in college sports.

The new Roth Tower represents another important investment in our continued rise.

A Tower With a Story to Tell

Thoughtful planning went into the design elements and functionality of the new tower.

The new space allows more opportunities beyond game day to welcome alumni, partners and visitors for corporate meetings and retreats, weddings and events, and even rocket launch viewing opportunities of nearby Kennedy Space Center, whose Launch Complex 39A aligns with the stadium’s 50-yard line.

Stronger media and broadcast spaces will help showcase �鶹ӳ����ý nationally and open possibilities for hosting other premiere sporting events and concerts. The strategic layout and structure will make operations and logistics safer, smarter and more efficient.

The tower also serves as an extension of �鶹ӳ����ý’s mission to equip our students with the knowledge, skills and aptitudes that align with the workforce of the future, offering paid opportunities to gain industry experience in areas including facility and event management, game day operations, broadcasting and production, brand management and strategic communications.

The details are uniquely �鶹ӳ����ý, with nods to the university’s roots as America’s Space University and its location in one of the most desirable tourist destinations globally.

A new concept in luxury seating, the open-air, semi-private Sky Suites on the north and south wings of the tower​ take advantage of Orlando’s average of 233 sunny days per year. Floor-to-ceiling windows serve as the east and west walls of the central suite space on the third floor for optimal views of the field and athletic village.

The stadium’s art collection is growing with two custom murals that pay homage to the �鶹ӳ����ý story and the university’s relationship to Orange County designed by artist Harry Foreman ’18, a graphic design and emerging media management graduate. These complement several installations around the concourse already that include Knightro, wings of Pegasus (the university’s official seal), �鶹ӳ����ý’s Big 12 ties and Orlando.

Building What’s Next

Roth Tower will create memorable experiences for visitors and reinforces �鶹ӳ����ý as another reason people choose to come to Orange County and come back.

While the tower is a huge step forward for �鶹ӳ����ý Athletics, it is not the finish line, says �鶹ӳ����ý Director of Athletics and Vice President Terry Mohajir, who has worked to implement facility enhancements throughout the village since he arrived in 2021.

“Our fans gave this stadium its identity … and kept the faith as �鶹ӳ����ý climbed from one level of collegiate athletics to the next,” Mohajir says. “Our responsibility now is to keep matching that belief, by giving our student-athletes every opportunity to succeed, competing for championships, delivering a Power Four-caliber experience and continuing to build the Kenneth G. Dixon Athletics Village into one of the greatest destinations in college sports.”

The �鶹ӳ����ý football team opens the 2026 season against Bethune-Cookman on Thursday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m. Ticket information can be found at .

This guide is a resource to help you develop a sense of belonging, find community and build lifelong friendships while studying at �鶹ӳ����ý.

Marquee Events

Whether you’re studying at �鶹ӳ����ý Downtown, the , Rosen College of Hospitality Management or the main campus,����you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get involved.

Some signature events have become beloved �鶹ӳ����ý traditions��with not-to-be-missed programming:

• Pegasus Palooza, �鶹ӳ����ý’s annual welcome week, greets new and returning students to campus with a variety of events including notable headliners at Comedy Knight and Concert Knight.

• �鶹ӳ����ý Homecoming��Week,���ڱ𲹳ٳܰ����Բ���Spirit Splash,��kicks��off��Monday,��Oct. 19,�����Ի���concludes��with the �鶹ӳ����ý football team’s matchup against BYU on��Saturday,��Oct. 24.

• Space Game, a football game unlike any other in the nation, pays tribute to our �鶹ӳ����ý’s roots as America’s Space University. This year’s matchup against Baylor on Friday, Oct. 30, marks 10 years of the Space Game.

• , held each spring at����Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, showcases the artistic talents of �鶹ӳ����ý’s faculty and students in performances, exhibitions, presentations and interactive experiences.

• Gather Luncheon,��a��community-building event in the spring hosted by��Wellness & Health Promotion Services and Dining Services,����brings hundreds of students��together����for��a free, three-course meal.

Recreation, Intramurals and Sports Clubs

In addition to its fitness and recreation facilities, the Recreation and Wellness Center has longstanding intramural and sports club programs that allow students to form friendships and win championships, sometimes on the brightest of stages.

The RWC’s intramural sports program welcomes all �鶹ӳ����ý students, especially those who are new to Orlando and haven’t met enough peers to form their own team. Thanks to its free agency feature, individuals ca��be matched up with others or be paired with an established team.

The sports club includes 45 different sports, encompassing everything from judo to lacrosse to wakeboarding and have produced some of �鶹ӳ����ý’s most notable alumni. Gold medalist Phil Dalhausser ’02, who played club volleyball while pursuing his business degree, and bronze medalist Kristen Thomas ’16, who began her rugby career��as a theatre studies major��at �鶹ӳ����ý,��both went on to��represent��Team USA��at��multiple Summer Olympic Games.

For more information, visit��.

Registered Student Organizations

�鶹ӳ����ý offers more than 650 registered student organizations spanning academic, professional, cultural and spiritual, social and recreational, and sports interests.

KnightConnect��is �鶹ӳ����ý’s official involvement platform where students can explore��these organizations or even create a new one.��Each organization has its own page with meeting times, contact information,��and ways to get involved.

Visit the����to find the organization right for you.

Greek Life

The fraternity and sorority experience has long been a part of campus life. Since the 1970s, fraternities and sororities have been providing spaces of belonging for students to grow together during their collegiate years.

Currently our �鶹ӳ����ý Greek community is comprised of 47 organizations, which all share the values of scholarship, leadership, service and brotherhood/sisterhood.

For more information visit��.

�鶹ӳ����ý Athletics – Knightmare Society and Marching Knights

�鶹ӳ����ý is a member of one of the premiere conferences in the nation, the Big 12. From��Fear the Fronds��to��Zombie Nation, the student section’s energy is��an integral part of the game day atmosphere��and gives the Knights a distinct home field (and court) advantage.

All full-time �鶹ӳ����ý-enrolled students (except �鶹ӳ����ý Online) are eligible for free tickets to home sporting events. Please note: all seating is first-come, first-served and admission is not guaranteed. For more information, especially for football and �����’s basketball student tickets, please visit .

�ճ���� is an organization built and run by �鶹ӳ����ý students and supported by �鶹ӳ����ý Athletics. Joining the official group has its perks, including football tickets automatically loaded to members’ Ticketmaster accounts, a dedicated fast pass entrance at all �鶹ӳ����ý �����’s basketball games, and first access to post-season student ticket claims.

Students can also contribute to game-day experiences by joining��, a more than 390-member marching band student organization that performs at pregame shows, halftime shows, pep rallies and��other��fan-fest��events. By creating the soundtrack for these dynamic events, the Marching Knights serve as one of the most vibrant and visible forces for school spirit.

Engage in��Research

Undergraduate research provides opportunities to build a learning community with faculty and fellow students��while engaging��in meaningful work that��develops��solutions��for��challenges facing our communities,��industries��and the world.

In addition to forging connections with peers and mentors, this��practical experience��allows students to��build their professional resumes��before��they graduate.

, �鶹ӳ����ý’s annual university-wide celebration of research and creative scholarship showcases graduate and undergraduate research. The week is scheduled for March 29 through April 2, 2027, featuring presentations, exhibitions and other events showcasing student research.

For more information on how to get involved with undergraduate research, visit��.

�������ǰ��������������Ի��

�鶹ӳ����ý students live in one of the most vibrant destinations in the world, Orlando.��Whatever your interest, Orlando��likely has��it:��theme parks,��elite��sporting events,��electric festivals,��Michelin-rated restaurants,��nearby��coastlines�����Ի���natural springs.

Orlando is what you make it, and there are ways to experience it all on a student budget.

�ճ������offers��discounted��tickets to various attractions, including Walt Disney World, Universal��Orlando��and Kennedy Space Center.��Every spring semester, �鶹ӳ����ý students��enjoy��free, exclusive access to Universal Islands of Adventure as part of Universal Knights.

��gives Knights of all experience levels opportunities to go on hiking and camping trips at nearby springs, learn to surf, paddle through bioluminescent waters and more.

Several cultural museums in the area offer free entry,��including��the�� on the main campus,��Rollins Museum of Art��and Mead Garden in nearby Winter Park,��and the��Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida��in Maitland.���ճ����acclaimed��Orlando Museum of Art��offers free entry on the third Thursday of each month��as part of its Access for All initiative.

Held annually at the start of the fall semester, Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining offers a chance to sample some the area’s exceptional restaurants at a fraction of the normal cost. Savor three-course, prix-fixe dinners�� — including at Aurora at the on-campus The Celeste Hotel — for just $40 or $60 per person from Aug. 14 – Sept. 30, 2026.

The Knights are heading to the NCAA Super Regional for the first time since 2022 and just the second time in program history thanks to a gutsy performance in the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

With �鶹ӳ����ý’s 4-2 victory over No. 9-seeded Florida State on the Seminoles’ home field on Sunday, the Knights will now face UCLA for a chance to advance to the Women’s College World Series for the first time.

The softball team is the eighth �鶹ӳ����ý program to compete at an NCAA postseason regional or championship event in 2025-26, joining �����’s�����Ի���wo�����’s soccer, indoor track & field,�������’s basketball,�������’s and wo�����’s tennis and women’s golf.

Resiliency in NCAA Regional

The Knights scored their sixth-consecutive berth to the NCAA Tournament and were tabbed as the No. 6 seed in the Tallahassee Regional, kicking off postseason play against Jacksonville State on Friday.

Down to the last out of the opening game and trailing 1-0, sophomore catcher and health sciences major Beth Damon came through with one of the biggest hits of her career, sending in the tying run to force extra innings where �鶹ӳ����ý ultimately prevailed for a 2-1 walk-off victory.

After a 10-1 win over Stetson on Saturday, the Knights advanced to championship Sunday against the Seminoles. �鶹ӳ����ý fell 2-1 to Florida State in the first game, forcing an immediate winner-take-all matchup in the double-elimination tournament.

After the Seminoles tied game 2 in the top of the fourth, sophomore utility player and pre-integrated business major Izzy Mertes responded for the Knights with a two-run home run to give �鶹ӳ����ý all it needed for the victory.

“It took every ounce of us to be able to get to this point, and I’m so proud of the fight that they had,” says head coach Cindy Ball Malone. “It is very difficult to play here, and I’m so proud of the resilience of our team to stay together and fight.”

The win, �鶹ӳ����ý’s first over Florida State since April 6, 2011, represented the sixth over the Seminoles in program history, third over Florida State in Tallahassee, and the Knights’ first in NCAA Tournament play.

NCAA Super Regionals Info

�鶹ӳ����ý is one of two Florida schools remaining in the tournament. The Knights will travel to No. 8-seed UCLA from May 22-24.

The Bruins boast a 50-8 record this season and are coming off of back-to-back victories over South Carolina in which they outscored the Gamecocks 22-3.

Game 1 of the Best-of-3 series will take place on Friday, May 22, at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPNU. Game 2 is scheduled for Saturday, May 23, at 9 p.m. ET and will air on ESPN.

If necessary, game 3 would take place on Sunday, May 24 at a time to be determined.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s Road to the NCAA Tournament

This year marks �鶹ӳ����ý’s 13th all-time appearance in the premiere postseason tournament.

�鶹ӳ����ý is one of seven Big 12 Conference teams selected to the tournament after producing a dominant regular season with 38 wins. Along the way, the Knights notched three victories over opponents ranked among the top 15 in the nation and a program-record 14 wins in Big 12 Conference play.

�鶹ӳ����ý, ranked at No. 23 heading into the postseason, has climbed as high as No. 15 in the national rankings this year, just two spots shy of their program-best record achieved in 2015 and 2022.

The NCAA Wo�����’s College World Series will be held from May 28-June 4/5 at Devon Park in Oklahoma City.

�鶹ӳ����ý remains the only Florida school standing in this year’s postseason. For the third-straight year, the Knights ended the Gators’ season, as �鶹ӳ����ý completed a dramatic 4-3 comeback at the USTA National Campus to advance to the Sweet 16.

The Knights will head to Winston-Salem on Friday, May 8, for their matchup with No. 4 Wake Forest. The winner will advance to the Elite 8, where they will face the winner of Oklahoma/Arizona.

�鶹ӳ����ý in 2026 NCAA Tournament

�鶹ӳ����ý’s nationally ranked �����’s and wo�����’s tennis teams each clinched their spot in the NCAA Tournament, with the �����’s team securing hosting rights for the first and second rounds at the USTA National Campus.

�鶹ӳ����ý is the only university in the state of Florida to host a regional, and is one of just two schools in the state to see both its men’s and women’s team clinch spots in the premiere postseason tournament.

The semifinal and championship rounds will be held at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Georgia, May 16–17.

Wo�����’s Tennis Postseason Recap

The No. 20 wo�����’s team headed into the postseason riding high from clinching back-to-back Big 12 Conference regular season championships.

After advancing to the second round with their 4-1 victory over Navy at the NCAA Raleigh Regional, the Knights fell to the eighth-seeded NC State.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s Tournament History

The �鶹ӳ����ý wo�����’s team made its 11^th postseason appearance in program history, and the seventh of head coach Bryan Koniecko’s 10-year tenure. Prior to his arrival in 2016, the program had made just four NCAA Tournament appearances.

The men secured their ninth all-time bid to the tournament as the No. 16 national seed, continuing the streak of making the postseason in all three seasons of Head Coach Lloyd Bruce-Burgess’ tenure, beginning in 2024. Last year’s squad made history, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time.

The No. 14 wo�����’s golf team was selected to compete as the No. 3 seed in the Ann Arbor Regional, clinching its seventh-consecutive appearance at the premiere postseason competition. The seeding marks their highest in program history and is also the best of any Big 12 Conference team in this year’s competition.

The wo�����’s golf team is the seventh �鶹ӳ����ý program to compete at an NCAA postseason regional or championship event in 2025-26, joining �����’s and wo�����’s soccer, indoor track & field, �����’s basketball and �����’s and wo�����’s tennis.

Postseason Outlook

�鶹ӳ����ý’s regional includes Southern California as the top seed, followed by Duke, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Northwestern, Kansas, Texas Tech, UNLV, Columbia, Quinnipiac and Oakland.

The three-day event begins Monday, May 11, at University of Michigan Golf Course hosted by Michigan. The Knights are familiar with the course as they were previously selected for the same regional in 2022.

The top five teams to finish at each of the six regional sites will advance to the NCAA Championship, which will be held May 22–27 at the��Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s Road to the NCAA Tournament

This will be �鶹ӳ����ý’s 20th regional appearance and the 11th of the last 15 seasons. Since head coach Emily Marron took over the program ahead of the 2012-13 season, the Knights have either qualified as a team or sent an individual to every NCAA regional.

The Knights have been nationally ranked all season and recently placed among the top three at the Big 12 Championship for their highest finish since joining the conference in 2023-24.

Sophomore Mila Jurine, a communication major from France, was crowned as the first individual Big 12 champion in �鶹ӳ����ý wo�����’s golf history. Jurine and senior psychology major Pimpisa Sisutham were named to the Big 12 Tournament Team.

�鶹ӳ����ý and the Big 12 unveiled the 2026 conference slate in January, with every game initially scheduled on Saturday. Two of those games are now shifted to Friday:

• Oct. 30 vs. Baylor (Mission X Space Game)
• Nov. 20 vs. Iowa State (Senior Knight)

TV and streaming designations and kickoff times will be added as announced.

2026 Schedule & Game Day Themes

-Home games in bold-

9/3 vs. Bethune-Cookman, 7 p.m., ESPN+ (Season-Opener)
9/12 at Pittsburgh
9/19 vs. Georgia State, 7 p.m., ESPN+ (Family Weekend)
9/26 vs. TCU (Big 12 Opener)
10/3 at Houston
10/10 at Oklahoma State
10/24 vs. BYU (Homecoming)
10/30 vs. Baylor, 7:30 p.m., ESPN (Mission X Space Game)
11/7 at Kansas
11/14 vs. Arizona State
11/20 vs. Iowa State, 6 p.m., FS1 (Senior Knight)
11/28 at Colorado

The Big 12 Championship Game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 4, and will once again be played at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys, in Dallas, Texas.

Tickets

Season tickets, mini plans and single-game tickets for the 2026 campaign can be purchased at .

STUDENT TICKETS

• A complete guide to student ticket information can be found at .
• Free tickets for actively enrolled �鶹ӳ����ý students can be claimed in the �鶹ӳ����ý Gameday app or online at .
• Student tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. All students holding a student ticket must be in the student line no later than 30 minutes before kickoff to ensure entry. Students arriving after that time will no longer be guaranteed a seat. They may join the general standby-pass line and will be admitted only if the student section has not reached capacity.
• The student-section line entrance is located on East Plaza Drive across from Garage F.

What’s New for 2026

From a newly reimagined Roth Tower to fresh food and beverage options across the concourse, at Acrisure Bounce House.

Tied at 72 with less than a minute remaining in Saturday’s game, junior forward Jordan Burks drilled a 3-pointer in front of the Knights’ bench that ignited �鶹ӳ����ý on to its 81-75 victory over the No. 17 Jayhawks.

As the buzzer sounded, droves of the more the 8,000 in attendance stormed the court in celebration — a nearly identical scene to the Knights’ 65-60 win over then-No. 3 Kansas in the first Big 12 Conference game in school history on Jan. 10, 2024.

“We beat a good basketball team tonight – the tradition, the coaching, the players they have. Just really proud of our players for playing for 40 minutes,” �鶹ӳ����ý head coach Johnny Dawkins says. “They showed a lot of heart throughout the game because Kansas is [terrific]. I thought our guys did a great job of sustaining effort on the court. I thought we finished strong at the end of the game when Kansas made a really good run to tie the ball game up. Those were things we were talking about as a team prior to us going away for Christmas break; how we have to play in conference, and I thought our guys it reflected that today in how we finished the game.”

�鶹ӳ����ý is now ranked in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 2019.

This year’s squad now improves to 12-1, marking the program’s best start under Dawkins since he took the helm in 2016. On Monday, �鶹ӳ����ý cracked into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time since 2019, debuting at No. 25 in the Week 9 poll.

The ranking marks just the sixth week �鶹ӳ����ý has appeared in the AP Top 25 since the program’s inception in 1969 and the second time under Dawkins.

Senior guard and Orlando native Riley Kugel led with 19 points, followed by guard Themus Fulks with 16 points and Burke with 14. �鶹ӳ����ý’s 44 first-half points marked the most the Jayhawks have allowed this season, after previously holding then-No. 5 Duke and then-No. 17 Tennessee to 41 points apiece.

Up next, the Knights continue league play when they head to Oklahoma State for an 8 p.m. matchup on Jan. 6 before returning home Jan. 11 to face Cincinnati at 5 p.m.

The Big 12 boasts the most Top 25 teams (seven) of any conference in the country.

“At the end of this day, this needs to be behind us and we have to throw all of our preparation into Oklahoma State because that’s how this league is,” Dawkins says. “You’re going to have 17 more games like we had tonight. None of them are going to be different. All of these teams are well-coached, all these teams have a lot of talent so we have to prepare for it that way.”

Their mentality? Don’t tell us the odds.

“I told the team from the very beginning, no successful team goes through any journey that is easy. This is part of our journey,” �鶹ӳ����ý head coach Tiffany Roberts Sahaydak says. “How are we going to respond to this? You have the ability to go out there and play for them. Believe in how good you are. Visualize doing great things and the rest will follow.”

From that point on, the Knights closed the regular season with a nine-match unbeaten streak, helping them clinch the No. 7 seed and hosting rights in the NCAA Tournament.

�鶹ӳ����ý will hold a first-round game on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at the �鶹ӳ����ý Soccer Complex against Maine, who just won its third-straight America East championship title.

The Knights are one of a conference-record eight teams from the Big 12 selected to participate in this year’s NCAA Tournament.

“After what we went through on a weekly basis in the Big 12 this year — a historical year with how many teams earned postseason bids — what excites me as we head into the NCAA Tournament is we’ve seen the best in the country. We are part of that,” Roberts Sahaydak says. “Obviously it’s one game at a time, and that starts with Maine, but the team should be feeling really confident because they are prepared from the physical and tactical and mental tests they’ve had all season.”

�鶹ӳ����ý’S NCAA Tournament History

This year’s postseason appearance will mark �鶹ӳ����ý’s first as a member of the Big 12 Conference and first since 2022 when the Knights advanced to the tournament’s second round.

Friday’s home match will mark the 11th time that �鶹ӳ����ý has hosted an NCAA Tournament First Round competition and the program’s first since 2017.

In all, it will be the program’s 23rd all-time appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship. �鶹ӳ����ý ranks among the NCAA’s top 25 winningest teams nationally since the inception of Division I wo�����’s soccer in 1982.

Tickets/Broadcast Info

General admission tickets are $10 and can be at ucfknights.com. The first 100 �鶹ӳ����ý students with valid �鶹ӳ����ý ID will receive free entry (first come, first serve). Stadium gates open at 6 p.m.

The match will air on ESPN+.

�鶹ӳ����ý �����’s basketball coach Johnny Dawkins made his declaration Jan. 4 prior to the Knights’ Big 12 Conference opener at Kansas State, and in front of a raucous, sellout home crowd six days later, they proved it.

Built upon a second-half surge and stifling efforts on the defensive end, �鶹ӳ����ý put its new conference on notice, toppling the No. 3 Kansas Jayhawks by a 65-60 final score before 9,469 fans at Addition Financial Arena, marking the third largest crowd in program history and the second highest in a regular season game.

The victory ranks among the most prolific in program history, representing the first against a top-three nationally ranked opponent, the second against a top-five foe, and the ninth against a squad ranked within the top 25. En route to the team’s upset, the Knights (10-4, 1-1 Big 12) erased a Jayhawks (13-2, 1-1 Big 12) lead that grew to as many as 16 points with 3:45 remaining in the first half.

“It was a great night for �鶹ӳ����ý. Our guys kept fighting in a game in which they got down early in the first half to a very good Kansas basketball team,” Dawkins says. “When they get that type of lead, you start to get knocked back a little bit. In our timeouts, I was trying to settle them down and stress that we have to take it possession by possession. We talked about working our way back in it in that last four-minute segment, and we were able to do that.

“I’m proud of the way we fought back with great courage, effort and energy throughout the entire night.”

Dawkins’ Notable Streaks

In the first meeting between the two programs, the Knights also notched their first win within Big 12 Conference play and extended a few notable win streaks Dawkins himself owns against Kansas and its head coach, Bill Self — who in his 20 seasons at Kansas has led the Jayhawks to two national championship titles.

�鶹ӳ����ý’s effort Wednesday represented Dawkins’ second win against the Jayhawks as a head coach, joining his 2014 triumph over Kansas as the head coach of Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Overall, Dawkins improved to 4-0 against the Jayhawks in his career, having bested Kansas twice as a player with Duke in the 1985-86 season.

Dawkins soaked up the team’s win Wednesday among the onslaught of fans who euphorically rushed the court.

Fantastic Finish

With the two squads trading blows throughout much of the second half, the Knights finally claimed a lead they would not relinquish with 2:57 to play in the final half.

Fifth-year forward Ibrahima Diallo grabbed a pass from junior guard Jaylin Sellers just outside the paint and finished a turnaround jumper moments later, giving his team a 59-57 advantage.

Fellow fifth-year forward CJ Walker, who made his first start for the Knights since March 11, 2022, gave �鶹ӳ����ý a bit of breathing room with a pair of free throws, and a Sellers layup coupled with two more converted free throws from junior guard Darius Johnson iced the Knights’ first win against a top five-ranked opponent since the team prevailed against then-No. 4 UConn by a 68-63 final score Nov. 25, 2011.

The timely shot by Diallo punctuated one of the better all-around games authored by the Saly, Senegal native, finishing with a season-high 13 points and five total rebounds.

“He was great,” Dawkins says of Diallo. “He’s going against arguably the best ‘big’ in college basketball, Hunter Dickinson is a terrific player. For Ibrahima to go toe-to-toe with him and have to battle him in the low post, he did a great job, and I’m proud of the way he stepped up and gave us a huge effort tonight.”

The final sequence, one that saw the Knights outscore the Jayhawks 8-3 and limit Kansas to one field goal in the game’s final 3:23 of play, represented a microcosm of the team’s dominant second half in the face of one of college basketball’s blue bloods.

“We knew we had zone (defense) in our bag,” Dawkins says. “It’s something that we work on and we felt it was timely to play some today. That’s why you saw our guys play it so well, because they’re accustomed to playing it in practice. We were able to stay with it longer because it was effective at times in the second half.”

Up Next

The Knights have a quick turnaround to their next Big 12 test when the Black and Gold welcome the No. 18/17 BYU Cougars to Addition Financial Arena Saturday afternoon. Tipoff for the contest is slated for 4 p.m. Jan. 13 and will be streamed on ESPN+.

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