The UCF Knights will play in the 2026 ESPN Events Invitational in late November, and CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein revealed the matchups on Thursday evening.
UCF will face the Boston College Eagles and Georgia Bulldogs. Both programs have blown out the Knights in their lone matchups — Boston College in 2020 (90-70) and Georgia in 2024 (114-76).
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The Eagles have been a losing team since defeating the Knights. They have a 76-98 record in the past six seasons, with their only 20-win season coming in the 2023-24 season.
Fred Payne was the leading scorer last season at 15.8 points, but he transferred to play for the Oregon Ducks. He recorded nine 20-point games, including a four-game stretch to kick off ACC play.
Jayden Hastings led Boston College in blocks (1.5), and he also switched programs, transferring to the Cincinnati Bearcats, who are also in the invitational. Hastings put together a career-night protecting the rim with six blocks against the then-No. 22 Clemson Tigers.
The Bulldogs have won 20 games consistently since the 2024-25 season. They lost in the first round in their recent NCAA Tournament appearances — then-No. 8 Gonzaga Bulldogs in 2025 and then-No. 9 St. Louis Billikens this past season.
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Jeremiah Wilkinson led Georgia in points, averaging 17.4 points. The hometown hero (from Powder Springs) scored 30 points on 9-for-21 against St. Louis, and the program will miss his scoring, as he transferred to the Arkansas Razorbacks following Darius Acuff Jr. going to the NBA.
Somtochuku Cyril led the Bulldogs in blocks with 2.2 per game, tied for first in the SEC with Alabama‘s Aiden Sherrill. Cyril transferred to play for the Miami Hurricanes.
The Knights have revamped their roster through the transfer portal, adding much-needed scoring and defense. Coach Johnny Dawkins landed North Carolina A&T transfer Lewis Walker and Florida Gulf Coast transfer Isaiah Malone.
The 2026 ESPN Events Invitational is a showcase format rather than a tournament. Last year’s invitational was played in a tournament format across three different brackets: Magic, Imagination and Adventure. Teams like BYU, Miami, Towson and Furman were a part of the 16-team tournament.
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BYU won the Magic Bracket over Miami, Illinois State won the Imagination Bracket and UC San Diego won the Adventure Bracket.
Looking back at the 2024 ESPN Event Invitational could add context despite a different format. Florida, Minnesota, Wichita State and Wake Forest were the four featured programs. Florida won the invitational, sweeping its two matchups against Wake Forest and Wichita State.
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