The UCF men’s basketball team (20-17) saw its quest for the title in the inaugural College Basketball Crown come up just short, falling to Nebraska (21-14), 77-66, in the championship game Sunday evening at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
“Tough game, I thought our guys fought,” said UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins. “I thought we had some opportunities to make some runs. We didn’t make the shots that we had been making throughout the tournament, some timely shots that would’ve helped us. I’m very proud of our team for the effort they’ve given us throughout this entire postseason tournament.”
Due to circumstances, the Knights were forced to play the 16-team event with just eight players and when senior point guard Darius Johnson, who had been phenomenal through the first three games, was slowed by a nagging hamstring injury suffered in Saturday’s semifinals, things got even tougher.
The finale was an amazing contest of runs by each team.
After UCF took a 3-0 lead, the Cornhuskers went on an early 10-2 run that stretched to 23-8 to give them a 23-11 advantage with 10:21 remaining in the first half. It was also at that time that Darius Johnson, already dealing with the injury, had to go to the bench with two fouls.
But it was the other “DJ” _ Dior Johnson _ along with Jordan Ivy-Curry and Nils Machowski, that got the Knights started in the right direction, going a on 15-6 run to close to within 29-26 before Nebraska extended the lead back to seven, 33-26, with 4:58 to play in the opening period.
That’s when the game completely changes as it was all Black and Gold for what amounted a over quarter of game time (10-minutes-and-22-seconds).
The Cornhuskers would not hit a field goal the remainder of the half as UCF scored the next seven points and closed the half on a 9-2 run to tie the game, 35-35, at the break.
The Knights then opened the second half with a 14-0 run over the first 5:24, stretching the run to 23-2, and giving the Gold and Black a 49-35 lead with 14:36 left in the game.
Nebraska then took over the contest, scoring the next 11 points, before Ivy-Curry hit a three-pointer to push the UCF lead back to six, 52-46. But that really didn’t slow the Cornhuskers, as they went on a 13-0 run to take a 59-52 lead with 7:27 left.
The Knights would cut the deficit back to four points, 59-55, but that was the closest to comeback the Black and Gold got in the final game of the campaign as Nebraska again got a streak going, scoring 12 of the next 16 points to retake a 12-point lead for the second time on the afternoon at 71-59 with 2:35 left.
Ivy-Curry finished the contest with a game-high 29 points while Machowski chipped in with 13 points. UCF's streak of making 10+ threes in each postseason game was snapped, sinking just seven against the Huskers.
The 2024-25 campaign saw the Knights win 20 games for the third time under Coach Dawkins and for the 10th time in program history. It was UCF’s fifth postseason appearance in nine seasons with Dawkins at the helm.
Despite being held to just four point in the finale, Darius Johnson was named to the All-Tournament Team after scoring 92 points over the four games.
The point guard finishes his remarkable UCF career with 1,586 points for an eighth-place all-time finish as a Knight. He is also second in steals (239), third in assists (470), third in games played (125), fourth in made three pointers (218) and fifth in free throw percentage (81.4%) among UCF career ranks. His 644 points this season are the sixth most in a campaign by a Knight, and his 83 steals are the most in a season in UCF’s Division I tenure.
The Knights’ trip through the College Basketball Crown included a 76-75 win over Oregon State, an 88-80 victory over conference-foe Cincinnati and a thrilling come-from-behind effort to beat Villanova 104-98.
In the victory over Oregon State, Hendricks earned his first career double-double, scoring 15 points while hauling in 10 rebounds. Darius Johnson and Machowski also scored 15 points, while Moustapha Thiam also finished with double-digit points, scoring 10 points while pulling in nine boards. The win marked UCF’s first win in the month of April in program history as well as the first victory over Oregon State in the inaugural meeting between the two teams.
A brilliant display from Darius Johnson lifted UCF to an 88-80 victory over longtime foe Cincinnati in the quarterfinals. Johnson was lighting up the scoreboard like the slot machines on the Las Vegas strip, scoring 31 points with five made triples to send the Knights to Saturday’s semifinal.
Johnson finished the night with 31 points, his fourth career 30+ point game and second of the season. A season-high 11 of his 23 shot attempts went down, five of which were three pointers, and he also had seven assists and two steals. Hendricks (14), Thiam (13) and Machowski (11) were also in double figure scoring.
Darius Johnson one-upped himself in the semifinals, scoring a career-best 42 points on the strength of three triples and a program record 17 made free throws as UCF used a late rally to force overtime and then dominated the extra frame to best Villanova, 104-98.
The Knights closed regulation time on an 11-5 run over the final 2:39, with Johnson dropping in a step-back 22-foot 3-pointer from the top of the key with 8-seconds left to tie the game at 88-88.
Ivy-Curry also had a big game with 18 points, while Dior Johnson and Dallan "Deebo" Coleman both tallied 13 and Hendricks netted 12.
Here are the box scores:
College Basketball Crown
MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
First Round
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
UCF 76, Oregon State 75
Oregon State (20-13)
Liutauras Lelevicius 9-12 1-2 20, Damarco Minor 6-14 3-4 16, Isaiah Sy 5-10 0-0 12, Josiah Lake II 2-9 0-1 4, Johan Munch 0-2 2-2 2, Maxim Logue 6-8 6-7 18, Ja'Quavis Williford 0-4 3-3 3, Thomas Ndong 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 28-59 15-19 75.
UCF (18-16)
Darius Johnson 4-16 5-6 15, Tyler Hendricks 6-8 0-0 15, Nils Machowski 5-9 2-2 15, Moustapha Thiam 4-14 2-4 10, Dallan "Deebo" Coleman 2-4 1-2 6, Dior Johnson 4-6 0-0 8, Benny Williams 2-3 0-0 4, Jordan Ivy-Curry 1-7 0-0 3. Totals _ 28-67 10-14 76.
Halftime _ UCF 45, Oregon State 36. 3-point field goals _ Oregon State 4-19 (Sy 2-6, Minor 1-5, Lelevicius 1-3, Lake II 0-3, Williford 0-2); UCF 10-26 (Machowski 3-5, Hendricks 3-5, Da. Johnson 2-8, Ivy-Curry 1-3, Coleman 1-2, Thiam 0-2, B. Williams 0-1). Team fouls _ Oregon State 12; UCF 15. Fouled out _ none. Technical fouls _ none. Rebounds _ Oregon State 42 (Logue 10, Minor, Lake II 8 each, Sy 6); UCF 34 (Hendricks 10, Thiam 9, Ivy-Curry, Coleman 5 each). Turnovers _ Oregon State 13; UCF 7. Assists _ Oregon State 11 (Lake II 6, Lelevicius, Minor 2 each); UCF 18 (Di. Johnson 4, B. Williams 4, Da. Johnson, Coleman 3 each, Thiam, Ivy-Curry 2 each). Steals _ Oregon State 5 (Sy 2); UCF 8 (Da. Johnson, Hendricks, Ivy-Curry 2 each). Blocked shots _ Oregon State 1 (Lake II); UCF 5 (Thiam 3).
Quarterfinals
Thursday, April 3, 2025
UCF 88, Cincinnati 80
Cincinnati (19-16)
Day Day Thomas 7-14 0-0 19, Dillon Mitchell 8-14 0-1 17, Jizzle James 4-14 2-2 10, Josh Reed 2-8 0-0 6, Aziz Bandaogo 1-1 1-2 3, Simas Lukosius 3-8 2-2 11, Rayvon Griffith 2-3 3-6 8, Dan Skillings Jr. 3-7 0-1 6, Tyler Betsey 0-0 0-0 0, Halvine Dzellat 0-1 0-0 0. Totals _ 30-70 8-14 80.
UCF (19-16)
Darius Johnson 11-23 4-5 31, Tyler Hendricks 3-5 7-8 14, Moustapha Thiam 6-9 0-0 13, Nils Machowski 4-7 0-0 11, Dallan "Deebo" Coleman 1-6 0-0 2, Jordan Ivy-Curry 1-8 5-6 7, Benny Williams 3-5 0-0 6, Dior Johnson 2-3 0-0 4. Totals _ 31-66 16-19 88.
Halftime _ UCF 38, Cincinnati 35. 3-point field goals _ Cincinnati 12-34 (Thomas 5-9, Lukosius 3-8, Reed 2-7, Griffith 1-2, Mitchell 1-1, James 0-6, Skillings Jr. 0-1); UCF 10-26 (Da. Johnson 5-13, Machowski 3-5, Thiam 1-3, Hendricks 1-1, Ivy-Curry 0-4, Coleman 0-4). Team fouls _ Cincinnati 17; UCF 14. Fouled out _ Cincinnati (Reed). Technical fouls _ Cincinnati (Reed). Rebounds _ Cincinnati 42 (Mitchell 12, Bandaogo, Lukosius 5 each); UCF 38 (Coleman 6, Thiam, Machowski, B. Williams 5 each). Turnovers _ Cincinnati 11; UCF 8. Assists _ Cincinnati 17 (Mitchell 6, Bandaogo 4, Skillings Jr. 3, Thomas, Lukosius 2 each); UCF 12 (Da. Johnson 7, Coleman 2). Steals _ Cincinnati 7 (Skillings Jr. 3, Thomas 2); UCF 6 (Da. Johnson, Coleman 2 each). Blocked shots _ UCF 2 (Thiam 2).
Semifinals
Saturday, April 5, 2025
UCF 104, Villanova 98 (overtime)
UCF (20-16)
Darius Johnson 11-19 17-20 42, Dallan "Deebo" Coleman 3-7 4-6 13, Tyler Hendricks 4-8 2-4 12, Moustapha Thiam 2-5 2-4 6, Nils Machowski 0-4 0-0 0, Jordan Ivy-Curry 5-12 4-4 18, Dior Johnson 5-7 0-0 13, Benny Williams 0-1 0-2 0. Totals _ 30-63 29-40 104.
Villanova (21-15)
Wooga Poplar 9-22 11-11 32, Eric Dixon 9-24 10-12 29, Enoch Boakye 4-4 3-4 11, Jhamir Brickus 1-2 3-4 5, Jordan Longino 0-7 3-4 3, Tyler Perkins 6-12 2-2 18, Kris Parker 0-0 0-0 0, Jordann Dumont 0-1 0-0 0, Josiah Moseley 0-0 0-0 0. Totals _ 29-72 32-37 98.
Halftime _ UCF 48, Villanova 44. Regulation _ 88-88. 3-point field goals _ UCF 15-35 (Ivy-Curry 4-6, Da. Johnson 3-7, Coleman 3-6, Di. Johnson 3-5, Hendricks 2-5, Machowski 0-4, Thiam 0-2); Villanova 8-31 (Perkins 4-10, Poplar 3-5, Dixon 1-11, Longino 0-3, Brickus 0-1, Dumont 0-1). Team fouls _ UCF 24; Villanova 27. Fouled out _ Villanova (Brickus, Longino, Perkins). Technical fouls _ none. Rebounds _ UCF 41 (Hendricks 8, Ivy-Curry 7, Di. Johnson, Thiam 5 each); Villanova 44 (Poplar, Boakye 11 each, Dixon 7, Perkins 6). Turnovers _ UCF 7; Villanova 7. Assists _ UCF 14 (Da. Johnson 7, Machowski, Hendricks 2 each); Villanova 12 (Poplar, Brickus, Longino 3 each). Steals _ UCF 2 (Coleman, Ivy-Curry); Villanova 4 (Poplar, Dixon, Longino, Perkins). Blocked shots _ UCF 3 (Thiam 2); Villanova 3 (Longino 2).
Championship
Sunday, April 6, 2025
Nebraska 77, UCF 66
Nebraska (21-14)
Brice Williams 6-14 6-8 21, Juwan Gary 8-15 3-3 20, Andrew Morgan 4-6 0-1 8, Cale Jacobsen 2-4 0-0 5, Sam Hoiberg 0-3 0-0 0, Connor Essegian 8-16 1-3 21, Ahron Ulis 1-3 0-0 2, Braxton Meah 0-0 0-0 0, Berke Buyuktuncel 0-0 0-2 0. Totals _ 29-61 10-17 77.
UCF (20-17)
Nils Machowski 5-10 1-2 13, Moustapha Thiam 4-9 0-0 9, Tyler Hendricks 2-7 0-0 5, Dallan "Deebo" Coleman 2-4 0-0 4, Darius Johnson 1-11 2-2 4, Jordan Ivy-Curry 12-22 2-2 29, Dior Johnson 1-4 0-0 2, Benny Williams 0-1 0-0 0. Totals _ 27-68 5-6 66.
Halftime _ 35-35. 3-point field goals _ Nebraska 12-34 (Essegian 4-8, Br. Wiliams 3-8, Gary 1-3, Jacobsen 1-1, Hoiberg 0-1); UCF 7-29 (Ivy-Curry 3-9, Machowski 2-5, Thiam 1-3, Hendricks 1-3, Da. Johnson 0-5, Coleman 0-2, Di. Johnson 0-2). Team fouls _ Nebraska 14; UCF 14. Fouled out _ UCF (Da. Johnson). Technical fouls _ UCF (Ivy-Curry). Rebounds _ Nebraska 38 (Gary 8, Jacobsen 6); UCF 39 (Thiam 11, Hendricks 7, Machowski 6). Turnovers _ Nebraska 9; UCF 812. Assists _ Nebraska 20 (Hoiberg 7, Morgan 4, Br. Williams 3, Essegian, Meah 2 each); UCF 8 (Thiam, Coleman 2 each). Steals _ Nebraska 8 (Gary, Hoiberg 2 each); UCF 7 (Machowski 3, Da. Johnson 2). Blocked shots _ Nebraska 3 (Morgan, Jacobsen, Hoiberg); UCF 5 (Thiam 3).
