Here is a look at the top individual performances of the year:

10. Keith Clanton vs. No. 4 UConn

Clanton was one of the top performers at the Battle 4 Atlantis and his play in the Bahamas helped UCF finish second at the eight-team event. In the win over No. 4 UConn, Clanton gave the defending national champions’ frontcourt, which featured 6-foot-10 Andre Drummond and 6-foot-9 Alex Oriakhi, trouble all day. The junior forward finished with 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field. He shot 4-of-5 from 3-point range and his shots from deep forced Drummond and Oriakhi outside the paint, opening the lane for drives from Marcus Jordan and Isaiah Sykes.

9. Marcus Jordan vs. North Carolina A&T

Jordan was unstoppable offensively in UCF’s early-season win over North Carolina A&T. The junior guard finished with 28 points on 5-of-12 shooting from deep. He logged 37 minutes and did much of his damage at the free-throw line, where he shot 7-of-10 for the contest.

8. A.J. Rompza vs. UAB

Following an emotional senior night ceremony, UCF fans would have forgiven Rompza if he was a little off his game against UAB. But as he had many other times during his career, the point guard came through for UCF fans, lifting the Knights to a victory that secured a third-place Conference USA finish for the squad. In 38 minutes, Rompza totaled 10 assists with only one turnover in the win over the Blazers. 7. Isaiah Sykes vs. Houston

In the win over the Cougars at the UCF Arena, Sykes had a monster game. He totaled 21 points, but was more impressive on the glass. The Detroit native finished with a career-high 14 rebounds, with an amazing 11 of the boards coming on the offensive end. As a team, Houston only recorded 13 offensive boards.

6. Keith Clanton vs. Memphis

Clanton was stellar all game long against the Tigers, finishing with 23 points and eight boards. But it was his play at the end of the contest that UCF fans will always remember. With the Knights trailing by two points with five seconds remaining, Clanton corralled an offensive rebound and scored inside the paint as he was fouled. The Orlando native calmly sank the free throw and seconds later, UCF’s students were rushing the court after the Knights had their first victory in 10 tries over the Tigers.

5. Keith Clanton vs. Old Dominion

In leading UCF to another impressive non-conference win, Clanton was sensational against Old Dominion. He scored 23 points, totaled 16 rebounds, including seven offensive boards, and had four steals versus a team that was coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance. Clanton shot 8-of-14 in the win and made all three of his 3-point field goal attempts.

4. Marcus Jordan vs. No. 4 UConn

Jordan scored only three points in the first half against the defending national champions, but played well when it mattered most. In helping UCF overcome a 17-point second-half deficit, Jordan totaled 17 points after intermission. He continually took the ball to the basket in the second half, and his fearless play after the break led the Knights to one of the biggest victories in school history.

3. Isaiah Sykes at Southern Miss

Throughout the year, it was easy to see the improvement that Sykes made from his freshman to his sophomore season. His strides were no more evident though at Southern Miss. The Knights eventually fell to the Golden Eagles, but Sykes single-handedly kept UCF in the contest. He scored a career-high 27 points on 11-of-14 shooting and also added 10 rebounds and three assists.

2. A.J. Rompza at East Carolina

Rompza had perhaps the best game of his collegiate career in UCF’s big victory over the host Pirates. In 39 minutes, Rompza totaled a season-best 16 points, matched a career-high with seven rebounds and recorded nine assists with only one turnover. And on the defensive end, he grabbed five steals. Thanks to Rompza, the Knights’ offense was on point in the win as UCF scored 81 points, its second-highest total of the year.

1. Keith Clanton vs. College of Charleston

Clanton made sure that UCF opened the Battle 4 Atlantis in strong fashion, leading the Knights to an impressive victory over College of Charleston. Clanton scored in a variety of ways against the Cougars and finished with 28 points on 12-of-17 shooting. He connected on a pair of 3-pointers and also added 14 rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals.

Honorable Mention

• Isaiah Sykes vs. UTEP: 23 points/11 rebounds

• Isaiah Sykes at East Carolina: 20 points/10 rebounds/10-of-15 shooting

• Tristan Spurlock at SMU: 15 points/3 3-pointers

• Marcus Jordan vs. Stetson: 26 points/3 assists/8-of-13 shooting/4-of-7 3-point shooting

• Isaiah Sykes vs. Hartford: 22 points/11 rebounds/9-of-14 shooting

• Kasey Wilson at Rice: 13 points/4 rebounds/4-of-5 shooting

The year was filled with firsts for the Knights, who capped the season by making the program’s debut in the National Invitation Tournament. Let’s take a look back at the team’s top-10 victories of the season.

10. Rompza’s Return Sparks Knights

UCF 65, Rhode Island 54

After missing the team’s first 12 games of the season, A.J. Rompza returned to guide the Knights to a 66-54 victory over Rhode Island in the championship game of the UCF Holiday Classic. The point guard logged 30 minutes in a starting role and recorded seven points and six assists. His every move received cheers from the UCF Arena crowd and his return, and UCF’s solid play, showed that bigger wins were on the way for the Knights.

9. Non-Conference Dominance Continues

UCF 61, Old Dominion 53

Facing a team that was coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance, UCF continued its non-conference dominance at home with a 61-53 victory over Old Dominion. The Knights were led by Keith Clanton, who totaled 23 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks and two steals. UCF shot 60.0 percent after halftime and made four of six 3-point attempts. Leading 36-35 with 10 minutes to play, the Knights put together a 12-2 run that gave the team control of the game.

8. Sending Seniors Out in Style

UCF 71, UAB 63

With a 71-63 victory over visiting UAB, UCF did not only give seniors P.J. Gaynor and A.J. Rompza a win in their final home contests, the Knights also secured a coveted first-round bye at the Conference USA Championship. As a result of the win, UCF finished tied for third in the C-USA standings, its best finish in the league since 2006-07. Rompza, who was clearly emotional during the pregame Senior Night ceremony, figured prominently into the win over the Blazers, finishing with 11 points and 10 assists with only one turnover.

7. Holding Off the Herd

UCF 67, Marshall 60

The Knights, who once led by 14 points, got a huge 3-pointer from Marcus Jordan down the stretch to hold off Marshall for a 67-60 win at the UCF Arena. Three 3-pointers and a jumper by Marshall sliced UCF’s lead to 62-60, and the Knights appeared to be in trouble with 15 seconds to go after a jump ball left only two seconds on the shot clock. But Jordan used a Tristan Spurlock screen to get free in the corner, where he buried a 3-pointer that not only secured the win for the Knights, but also relieved every UCF fan in attendance.

6. Making More History

UCF 64, UAB 54

Thanks to a strong defensive effort, UCF posted a 64-54 victory over UAB in Memphis, Tenn., to advance to the Conference USA Championship semifinals for the first time. The Knights built a big lead early and limited the Blazers to only 29.3 percent shooting for the game to post their third win of the season over UAB. Keith Clanton (14 points and seven rebounds) and Marcus Jordan (12 points) both played well for the Knights, who shot 50 percent overall.

5. Strong Finish Leads to Impressive Win

UCF 74, College of Charleston 63

Treating its visit to the Bahamas as a business trip, UCF utilized a strong finish to open the Battle 4 Atlantis with a 74-63 victory over the College of Charleston. The Knights received a strong contribution from Keith Clanton, who matched a career best with 28 points. UCF closed the game with an 18-5 run, and shot 55.6 percent overall in the second half. College of Charleston was coming off of a 72-69 victory at Clemson. Clanton shot 12-of-17 overall, 2-of-3 from 3-point range and added three blocks and two steals in 36 minutes.

4. Complete Performance vs. the Pirates

UCF 81, East Carolina 63

UCF played its most complete game of the season at East Carolina as the Knights rolled to an 81-63 victory over the Pirates. Four Knights finished with double digits in scoring, led by Isaiah Sykes who totaled 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting. UCF also received a huge performance from A.J. Rompza. The senior point guard filled up the box score with 16 points, nine assists, seven boards and five steals. UCF built a 22-point advantage in the second half. The Pirates got within 11 points with 7:12 to go in the game, but UCF responded, getting two buckets from Clanton, a layup from Sykes and a basket by P.J. Gaynor to go back up 19 points. The Knights shot 52.2 percent from the field and finished with a 46-29 rebounding advantage.

3. Knights Hang On for Another Historic Win

UCF 48, UAB 41

For the second time in a week, UCF recorded a victory over a Conference USA opponent for the first time in numerous tries as the Knights built a big lead and then held on for a 48-41 victory at UAB. UCF led by as many as 14 points in the first half, and recovered to get the win after UAB grabbed a three-point advantage with 5:12 to play in the game. UCF regained the lead when Marcus Jordan found Tristan Spurlock for a huge triple in the corner with 4:28 to play. The Blazers did not score the rest of the contest as UCF hit four free throws in the final two minutes and got a key basket from Keith Clanton down the stretch. The Knights entered the contest 0-7 all-time versus UAB.

2. Knights Rally to Take Down Defending Champs

UCF 68, No. 4 UConn 63

UCF rallied from a 17-point second-half deficit to post one of the biggest wins in school history, a 68-63 triumph over No. 4 and defending national champion UConn in the Battle 4 Atlantis semifinals. Marcus Jordan and Keith Clanton each scored 20 points as the Knights snapped UConn’s 16-game winning streak. The win over a ranked opponent was just the third in school history for UCF, who also defeated No. 16 Florida last year and No. 25 College of Charleston back in 2002. UConn put together a 10-0 run to take a 50-33 lead with 16 minutes left. The Knights then scored 17 of the next 19 points to pull within two. Jeremy Lamb made a 3-pointer to stretch the Huskies’ lead to five, but they couldn’t hold off the Knights. Jordan converted a layup, then made two free throws to give UCF a 58-57 advantage with just over three minutes left. Jordan added four more foul shots down the stretch to preserve the big win. UCF limited UConn to just 34.5 percent shooting and 25 total points in the second half.

1. A Night to Remember

UCF 68, Memphis 67

Keith Clanton and the Knights gave a huge UCF Arena crowd a night to remember when UCF defeated Memphis, 68-67, in a thrilling contest to post the program’s first win over the Tigers. Once up 13 points in the second half with 16 minutes to play, UCF found itself trailing by two with 42 seconds to play. Then, following a UCF miss and a Memphis miss from the foul line, Clanton corralled a rebound with four seconds to play and finished a layup as he was fouled to tie the game. The Orlando native calmly sank the go-ahead free throw to provide the winning point for the Knights. The clutch play capped a 23-point, eight-rebound night for the junior. After A.J. Rompza came up with a steal on the Tigers’ final possession, many of the students in the crowd of 8,734 fans rushed the court to celebrate UCF’s first win over Memphis in 10 tries.

Last week, UCF made its first appearance in the National Invitation Tournament, but was unable to get past host Drexel. With the campaign now in the books, it is not too early to look ahead to next season. Here are five things to look forward to in 2012-13:

1. The Return

UCF will return 84 percent of its scoring from this year’s squad as seniors P.J. Gaynor and A.J. Rompza will be the only two seniors who depart the team. The Knights will bring back their top-four scorers in Keith Clanton (14.5 points per game), Marcus Jordan (13.7), Isaiah Sykes (12.3) and Tristan Spurlock (7.2). Rompza, who started 20 contests at point guard in 2011-12, is the lone starter who won’t be back next season. UCF fans should be excited about the return of Kasey Wilson, as the freshman played exceptionally well down the stretch for the Knights this past season. The power forward is skilled offensively and also earned minutes thanks to his aggressiveness on the defensive end.

2. Sykes Ready for Another Jump

Isaiah Sykes might have been the most improved player in the country this past season. In 2010-11, Sykes averaged 4.0 points and 3.2 boards as a freshman. In league contests, Sykes averaged only 1.9 points. After spending the summer in the gym working on his handle and shot, Sykes averaged 12.3 points and 6.4 rebounds this past season. In Conference USA contests, he upped those averages to 13.7 points and 7.1 boards. The Detroit native guided the Knights to several wins, and always seemed to make an impact with his defensive play and rebounding ability. Expect Sykes to keep showing improvement. Sykes is hungry to get better and should be spending even more time in the gym this summer.

3. Transfer of Power

UCF will have the services of a pair of talented guards who both sat out this past season due to NCAA transfer rules. C.J. Reed, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points at Bethune-Cookman, should take over the starting point guard duties from A.J. Rompza. The Daytona Beach native has a smooth game. The senior knows how to score, but also can get teammates involved. Calvin Newell, a shooting guard, averaged 13.0 points at Oklahoma this past fall, and will be eligible in December as a junior. Reed and Newell will join Marcus Jordan to form one of the most talented backcourts in UCF history.

4. Senior Moments

Senior leadership is always beneficial and the Knights will be led by Keith Clanton and Marcus Jordan next year. Clanton developed into one of Conference USA’s top players in 2011-12 when he averaged 14.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game. The power forward has made strides in each of his campaigns at UCF, and expect the Orlando native to keep improving entering his senior season. Jordan did not have the junior year that he would have liked, but he still averaged 13.7 points. He should benefit from the arrival of C.J. Reed and Calvin Newell as the Chicago native will no longer be the Knights’ lone perimeter scorer.

5. Welcome Freshmen

Head coach Donnie Jones will welcome a huge freshman class consisting of shooting guard Taylor Barnette, center Staphon Blair, power forward Dylan Karell and shooting guard Matt Williams. Although one can never be sure of the impact that a freshman class will make, Jones is certain that the rookies will provide plenty of depth next season. With an eight-man rotation at the end of the year, UCF was unable to press and run in 2011-12. With the arrival of the freshmen, and the two transfer guards, depth should not be an issue next season.

The Knights, who earned a No. 6 seed in the 32-team event, will play at third-seeded Drexel at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday in Philadelphia. Drexel claimed the Colonial Athletic Association regular-season title and is 13-0 at home this year.

The Knights’ first-round contest with the Dragons, who enter the NIT with a 27-6 record, will air online on ESPN3.

“Receiving an invitation to the NIT for the first time is a tremendous step for our program,” UCF head coach Donnie Jones said. “The NIT has a great history, and earning an invitation to this tournament is a great honor. Drexel is a great team that has enjoyed a tremendous season, and it will be a great challenge to meet them on their home court.”

Jones, who is in his second campaign at UCF, has led the Knights to consecutive 20-victory seasons. The Knights are 22-10 this season and finished third in Conference USA.

With a win at Drexel, UCF would face either No. 2 Saint Joseph’s or No. 7 Northern Iowa in the second round. That game would be played between March 15 and 19.

The first three rounds will be played at the campus site of the higher seeds. The semifinals and finals of the NIT will be played at Madison Square Garden in New York on March 27 and 29.

The trip to the postseason is the latest first recorded by the Knights this season. During the regular season, UCF defeated a top-10 ranked team – No. 4 UConn – for the first time and recorded its first victories over C-USA foes Memphis and UAB. Last week, the Knights made their inaugural appearance in the C-USA Championship semifinals.

The NIT made its debut in 1938 and is currently organized by the NCAA.

UCF built an early lead behind the heady play of senior point guard A.J. Rompza and the toughness of injured forward Isaiah Sykes and limited UAB to 29.3 percent shooting in a 64-54 victory in second-round play of the C-USA tourney at FedExForum.

“That was the key for us, moving the ball and not caring about who got the shots,” Rompza said. “We were having so much fun out there.’

UCF advances to face tournament host and top seed Memphis at 6:30 p.m. ET  tonight. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network.

Junior standouts Keith Clanton (14 points and seven rebounds) and Marcus Jordan (12 points) played well for a fourth-seeded Knights team that shot 50 percent and had 13 assists on 23 field goals. UCF won despite hitting just one field goal in the final 9 minutes, 12 seconds of the game.

“We’re very excited about this win because it’s the first time in our school’s history that we’ve been to the semifinals of this tournament. It’s a great step for our program today,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said. “I’m really proud of our team. I thought that was a great team effort. We had a lot of guys step up and do great things.”

Rompza, who desperately wants to keep his UCF career alive, kept the Knights under control all night finished with 12 points and six assists. And Sykes, easily UCF’s most improved player this season, valiantly played through a sore wrist and added 10 points and six rebounds.

“(The wrist) is pretty good, but my teammates gave me a lot of confidence,” said Sykes of his sprained left wrist. “Down the stretch (of the season) you don’t get a lot of chances like this to come out here and play in games like this so I wanted to get out there and do what I could.”

UCF (22-9), which eclipsed last season’s 21-win total, advances to Friday’s semifinal round. The Knights will face a Memphis team that they split with during the regular season with each team winning on the home floor.

Memphis is hosting the C-USA tourney for a ninth time. The Tigers have won five of those tournaments.

But beating the Tigers will certainly be a tough task, especially in the Bluff City in front of Memphis’ rowdy home crowd. Memphis is in the C-USA Tournament semifinals for a ninth time. In the history of the tournament, No. 1 seeds have reached the title game 12 times, winning it all eight times.

The Knights have had a knack for winning these types of games over the past two years, upsetting the likes of defending national champion Connecticut and Memphis this season and Florida, Miami and UTEP last season.

“They are definitely very talented, they have a lot of individual talent and they can score in a lot of different ways,” Jones said of Memphis. “We played two games and we both came out on the winning side. It will be a great game. They’ve been playing as well as anybody in the country, so it’s going to be a great challenge.”

Already slated for a late tipoff, the start time of the game was pushed back until 10:20 p.m. local time after two of the earlier games needed extra time to complete. Southern Miss nipped East Carolina 81-78 in overtime in the first game, while Marshall needed three overtimes to upset Tulsa in the second game. Memphis beat UTEP 65-45 in the third game in a contest that featured four technical fouls following a second-half skirmish.

There were five lead changes early in Thursday’s game, but the Knights never trailed after briefly falling behind 13-12 in the early going. UAB got as close as six points in the second half, but could never overtake the Knights because of UCF’s stellar defense. The Knights’ swarming defense limited UAB to six second-half field goals.

UCF starting center Josh Crittle added eight points, six of them coming on UCF’s first three baskets of the second half. UAB (15-16) got 18 points from Ovie Soko, but standout forward Cameron Moore struggled through an 0 of 8 shooting night against the Knights’ defense.

Sykes didn’t start because of a wrist injury that he suffered last Saturday night in the win against UAB. He played with the wrist heavily padded and still showed his trademark aggressiveness by attacking the basket early on. Sykes had the highlight of the first half by taking a fastbreak pass, spinning around a defender and converting a reverse layup as he was fouled.

Late in last Saturday’s defeat of UAB, Sykes crashed hard to the floor on a layup attempt and sprained the wrist. He had trouble gripping a ball in practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, but showed some improvement by Thursday night.

“Isaiah is such a big part of this team and I was texting him (Wednesday) and (Thursday) because I knew how bad we needed him,” Rompza said. “Not just what he does for us offensively, but defensively by wanting to guard the other team’s best player. With injuries like he had you want to shake it off and play through it. I just told him to give us everything that he had and that’s what he did.”

The extra day of rest and practice time thanks to the first-round bye was evident early on as UCF’s offense was very efficient in the first half. The Knights led 36-29 at the break by shooting 59.3 percent in the first half with four 3-pointers.

UAB’s only way of staying close in the first half was getting three 3-pointers from Preston Purifoy. Otherwise, UCF held the Blazers to 44 percent shooting and caused six turnovers in the first half.

UCF’s ball movement was on point in the first half as it had 11 assists on its 16 first-half field goals. Rompza routinely broke down the defense, getting in the lane and assisting on five baskets. Jordan and Clanton each had three assists in the first half as the Knights moved the ball from side to side to find holes in the defense.

Sykes’ legendary toughness added a new chapter in the first half as he scored eight points with his sore left wrist and all. He made four of his six shots and showed no hesitancy in taking contact on a wrist that was too sore to grip a basketball as late as Thursday morning.

Building off the momentum he got from last Saturday’s four 3-pointer effort against UAB, Jordan scored eight points and hit two more 3-pointers in the first half. And Clanton did the dirty work on the inside, scoring nine points in the first 20 minutes.

Now, the Knights look ahead to the monumental task of trying to topple Memphis on its home court. Rompza feels blessed to have his college career still going and he can think of no better highlight from his senior season than another defeat of Memphis.

“I’ve got so much motivation and mostly it’s about not wanting to stop playing with my teammates,” the fiery senior guard said. “Basketball ends at some point for everybody, but I just want to keep playing because of the bond that we have on this team. For everything that I’ve gone through these guys were always there for me. It’s obviously my last year, but it’s about showing guys respect.”

Now, on the verge of their first game in the Conference USA Tournament, the Knights are hoping they have another special run and another series of big-game efforts in them. Awaiting them — if they can string together three wins in three days — is a coveted trip to the NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve done it before and I definitely think we can do it again,” UCF standout guard Marcus Jordan said, referring to the Knights’ ability to get hot in a short period of time. “We’ve been in this situation before where we had to win big games and win back-to-back-to-back games, and we’re definitely capable of doing it.”

UCF (21-9 overall and 10-6 in C-USA play) hits the tournament as the No. 4 seed and will play No. 5 UAB on Thursday at 10 p.m. ET at Memphis’ FedExForum. The Knights earned the first-round bye by hitting a season-high 11 3-pointers in a defeat of UAB last Saturday night.

That victory allowed the Knights to earn an extra day of rest and put them in a position to potentially play three games in three days. It’s a spot that the Knights are very familiar with after having played three exhibition games in Canada during the summer and three games in Bahamas early in the season.

Head coach Donnie Jones scheduled those tournaments with this week in mind, and his team responded with three wins in Canada and a defeat of defending national champion UConn and a run to the title game in the Bahamas. Now, Jones hopes his team will ultimately play three games in the next three days because that will mean a shot at a league championship and a potential berth into the NCAA Tournament.

“It was good for us to put ourselves in that (three-day) game preparation, tournament mode with what we did this summer and during the season,” Jones said. “It showed us how we travel, how to prepare and how focus on things in a short period of time. It was good to get us ready for a setting like this week in the conference tournament.”

Jones is the architect of a team that has won 21 games each of the past two seasons. He is well aware of the special moments that this squad is capable of considering the highs and lows of the past two seasons. UCF whipped Florida, Miami, USF and UTEP last season and this season topped UConn and Memphis for the first time in school history. And in last Saturday’s must-win against UAB, the Knights were sharp in all phases of the game and got several big contributions.

Foremost was the play of Jordan, who snapped out of a mini-slump against UAB. He shot the ball with confidence, hitting four 3-pointers and scoring 16 points. The four 3-pointers were one more than he had made in the previous five games, a stretch where he also averaged just 8.0 points per game.

“It was great for my confidence, but it’s another whole game (on Thursday) in the tournament,” said Jordan, who is second on the team in scoring at 14.2 points per game. “I just have to go out there, find my game the best that I can and contribute however possible.”

The return of Jordan’s shooting stroke was a welcome sight for the Knights because of the trickle-down effect he has on the rest of the roster. His best friend on the team, senior point guard A.J. Rompza, and Jones know that UCF will need Jordan performing at a high level to put together a run through the tournament.

“People get caught up in Marcus’ scoring, but he’s been getting everybody else great looks because the defenses are focused on him. They try to stop him and then Keith (Clanton), Isaiah (Sykes) or Tristan (Spurlock) have big games,” Rompza said. “People expect Marcus to get 25 points a night, but he does so much more for us whether it’s rebounds or assists. That says a lot about a player of his caliber to let go of his individual stats for the betterment of the team. It makes us better.”

Added Jones: “It was huge seeing Marcus have a good game. I know that he’s been pressing hard to score. He just has to continue trying to help our team in other ways and scoring will come. With all of the other guys playing well the defense can’t focus on him and hopefully he’ll finally get some catch and shoots. He hasn’t had a lot of those opportunities.”

If the Knights could win on Thursday, a rematch against top-seeded Memphis could loom on Friday afternoon. The Tigers got revenge for UCF’s victory in Orlando in February with an 84-55 win in Memphis last week.

The Knights are in no way looking past Thursday’s game, but are eager to get another shot at the Tigers. Undoubtedly, a victory against the Tigers in Memphis would go down as another special moment in a long line of them for this UCF team.

As one of two seniors on the team, Rompza knows he’s in the final days and weeks of his college career. He’s trying to exert his leadership on the team, hoping to coax another special run out of a UCF team that has shown the past two years that it is capable of beating any team in the country.

“These are the last couple of games for me and I can’t take any days off. That’s why I’m constantly talking throughout practice, trying to get guys lifted up and bringing their A games,” said Rompza, who had 11 points, 10 assists, three 3-pointers and two steals last Saturday against UAB. “Right now, it’s either win or go home and I want us to give our best effort and leave it all out on the court.

“We have no choice but to put together a run now,” Rompza continued. “Whether or not we can do that all depends on how we play. We know that nothing is going to be easy because this is the time of year when upsets happen and teams that aren’t supposed to win do win. We’re looking at this as our opportunity to leave our mark and do something special this season.”

Doing all of those things in impressive fashion helped Rompza and Gaynor celebrate a 71-63 defeat of UAB Saturday, and it also gave the Knights a coveted first-round bye in next week’s Conference USA Tournament in Memphis.

UCF (21-9 overall and 10-6 in C-USA play) will enter the tourney as the No. 4 seed after sweeping the season series against UAB (14-15 and 9-7), which entered the game as one of the league’s hottest teams over the last three weeks. The victory also pushed UCF’s home record to 16-1, the best ever in school history.

Rompza, who made his 93rd career start, figured prominently in the victory with 11 points, 10 assists and three 3-pointers. He drilled a 3-pointer in the first half while falling out of bounds, and in the second half he had scintillating passes to Keith Clanton (22 points) and Isaiah Sykes (15 points) for baskets that brought the UCF Arena crowd out of its seats.

Rompza also swiped two UAB passes to move into second place all-time in school history in steals with 205. All in all, it was a storybook night for Rompza and Gaynor (six points) on Senior Night.

“I told the guys that everyone gets caught up in Senior Night, but this was about us playing together,” Rompza said. “(We) had the (ceremony) in the beginning, but at the end of that it was about us still playing for something and playing for that fourth spot. I didn’t want to get caught up in the whole Senior Night thing and I thought we responded well as a team.”

UCF finished the regular season tied for third in the C-USA standings with Tulsa. The Knights shot 49 percent in the game and made a season high 11 3-pointers, 10 of which came in the first half. Head coach Donnie Jones couldn’t think of a better way for the Knights to head into the postseason.

“Our players have played with great emotion all season and (the postseason) is the second part of the journey,” Jones said. “Now, the real fun begins and this is where March Madness becomes really fun. This is what we’ve played for all year long. This has been a great ride for our team.”

Junior guard Marcus Jordan entered Saturday struggling over the last five games, averaging just eight points while shooting 12 of 37 overall and three of 15 from 3-point range over that stretch of games. But he broke out in a big way on Saturday night by scoring 16 points and hitting four 3-pointers. He helped to make sure that Rompza, his closest friend, went out a winner Saturday night.

Rompza and Gaynor were honored before the game with video tributes, posters of them in action and standing ovations. The video tribute showed stirring images of Rompza on the shoulders of fans following his game-winning shot in 2011 against Tulsa and of various Gaynor dunks through the years.

As predicted, Rompza shed plenty of tears during the emotional pregame ceremony. Afterward, he posed for several pictures with fans and thanked many of them for their support over the past four seasons. He admitted Saturday’s game was bittersweet because he didn’t want the run to end yet.

“I was just trying to do whatever I could to win the game and get it over with. It’s been a rough three or four days sleeping-wise and thinking about everything,” Rompza admitted. “It’s almost like a monkey off my back because I wanted to get it over with with a win.”

Dr. John C. Hitt was honored at halftime for the 20th anniversary of his hiring as UCF’s president. New Vice President and Athletics Director Todd Stansbury and outgoing interim AD Al Harms presented Dr. Hitt and first lady Martha Hitt with a signed basketball from the 2011-12 squad. The Hitts also were given a standing ovation by the crowd of 6,283.

UCF finished the first half the same way that it started the game — by drilling 3-pointers from all corners of UCF Arena. Clanton and Jordan hits threes in the final minute of the first half to send the Knights to the locker room with a commanding 46-26 lead.

The Knights made 10 of 17 3-pointers in the first 20 minutes. The 10 3-pointers tied a season high, but the difference was it took 24 attempts to do so two weeks ago at Rice. UCF needed just 17 tries in the first half on Saturday. Jordan had four in the first half, while Rompza connected on three threes and Clanton sank two triples.

“We were real determined to (win) and coach talked about wanting to send the seniors out on a good note in their last game before the home crowd,” said Clanton, who made seven of nine shots and three of four 3-pointers. “Everybody came out aggressive and unselfish.”

UCF put on a shooting clinic early in the game, making seven of its first 10 shots from 3-point range to blow out to a 27-11 lead. The hot shooting was spread throughout the starters as Jordan made three, Rompza drilled two, Clanton hit one and Sykes connected from the wing early on.

When Rompza hit a 3-pointer from the corner as he was falling out of bounds and Jordan drilled a deep shot from the wing, UCF secured some free chicken wings for the fans from Buffalo Wild Wings even though more than 12 minutes still remained in the first half.

Rompza and his teammates circled the stands after the game, celebrating the big victory with Knights backers. Teammates had to coax Rompza into the locker room because he seemingly didn’t want the night to end as he kept signing autographs and posing for pictures.

“I wanted to take a picture with everybody just to show appreciation for everything they have done for me the last four years,” Rompza said. “If I would have had to stay here until 12 o’clock I would have. Just playing with these guys has been special and we’ve always had more than the teammate thing. These guys on this team are like my brothers. And as far as the fan support, they have always been there for me since the beginning. I wanted to show how much I appreciate everything that they have done for me.”

UCF sophomore Isaiah Sykes swatted shots, drove to the rim with no regard for his body, aggressively grabbed rebounds in traffic and even made the fifth 3-pointer of his career – all in an effort to make sure there was no second-half repeat from Wednesday for the Knights. Just three days removed from a poor finish in a loss to against Rice, UCF rode the do-everything play of the steadily blossoming Sykes in the second half to pull away from UTEP, 63-45, at UCF Arena.

Sykes, who is quickly evolving into one of UCF’s leaders, overwhelmed UTEP in the second half with his athleticism down low and his toughness on the glass. In the game, he had 23 points and 11 rebounds with 17 points and six rebounds coming over the final 20 minutes. Simply put, Sykes was too strong and tough when UTEP guarded him with a smaller player and too explosive when the Miners used bigger forwards against him.

“That’s what he does, a little bit of everything,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said. “I told him last game when you come off being the Conference USA Player of the Week you sometimes think you get those awards just by scoring. But he has to continue to being the player that he is. And that’s doing things like rebounding, scoring, getting buckets in transition, getting fouled and making free throws. It’s just about getting ugly baskets. And he’s starting to make threes now.”

UCF (20-8 overall and 9-5 in C-USA play) hit the 20-win plateau for a second consecutive season. The Knights, who never trailed Saturday night, also improved to a stellar 15-1 at home and remained very much in the running for a top-four seed and a first-round bye in the C-USA Tournament.

Junior forward Keith Clanton added 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists, while Marcus Jordan chipped in 11 points while splitting time at both guard positions.

UCF finished with just three turnovers, the third-fewest ever in a C-USA game. It was a dramatic improvement over Wednesday when UCF kicked the ball away 18 times in a head-scratching 83-74 loss to Rice.

UCF also held a 37-27 advantage on the glass and grabbed a whopping 18 offensive rebounds. That allowed the Knights to get off 18 more shot attempts. In addition to Sykes’ five offensive boards, three other Knights grabbed multiple rebounds off the offensive glass.

“We just got thoroughly pounded in every aspect of the game. UCF was better than us in all areas, especially on the boards,” said UTEP coach Tim Floyd, whose red-hot Miners had beaten Memphis, Southern Miss and Tulsa of late in a four-game winning streak. “We gave up 18 off rebounds and they had so many possessions in which they got four or five shots because we made no commitment to getting the ball off the glass.”

The effort on the glass was a product of the hard work UCF put in in practice after the disappointing loss on Wednesday, Sykes said.

“The attitude (after the Rice loss) was real focused. Everybody came to practice and competed extra hard like we were going against our opponents and that gave us an edge,” Sykes said. “Our practices were like game time so that gave us an extra edge.”

The Knights play next in Memphis on Tuesday in a game that will be televised regionally on CSS and locally on Bright House Sports Network. The Knights recorded one of the biggest wins in school history on Jan. 18 when they defeated Memphis 68-67, and fans celebrated by storming the court at UCF Arena. The Tigers (21-8 overall and 11-3 in C-USA play) are back on top of Conference USA and were 20-point winners at Marshall on Saturday.

UCF will then close the regular season on Saturday at home against UAB. The league tournament will be held in Memphis March 7-10. The Knights are hoping to finish the regular season strong, earn a top-four seed and gain a first-round bye in the tournament.

“(Next week) is real big for us because we know where we’re trying to get to. We’re trying to make the NCAA Tournament and we know every win counts,” Clanton said. “We have two games left, so we have to come with intensity and play hard.”

Rompza did a little bit of everything Saturday for the Knights, scoring 11 points, grabbing five rebounds, handing out five assists and swiping two steals as UCF completed a season sweep of East Carolina with a 64-55 victory.

Making the 90th start of his career, Rompza helped UCF to improve to 14-1 at UCF Arena this season. The Knights (19-7 overall and 8-3 in Conference USA play) won for a fourth time in the past five games.

“Man, it goes by fast because it feels like just yesterday I was sitting here next to (former UCF star Jermaine Taylor),” Rompza said, attempting to sum up his career. “I’ve got two (home) games left. If I could do it all again I wouldn’t pick anywhere else other than UCF. It’s been a like a second home to me. I would talk about being with this group of (teammates), but I might get sentimental and start crying.”

Needing to continue to win, the Knights have a big week ahead with games at Rice (Wednesday) and at home against UTEP (Saturday). The Knights sit fourth in the C-USA standings, a half-game behind third-place Tulsa (9-4) and a game ahead of fifth-place Marshall (7-5). Next Saturday’s nationally televised game will pit the Knights against a UTEP team that stunned Memphis on the road Saturday afternoon.

“If you want to make a move you let everybody else worry about themselves and we’ll worry about what we can control,” UCF coach Donnie Jones said. “We’re in a situation with how the year has played out to make a move. We’ve got to start passing some people at the top. We have a chance to do that in these next four games.”

Junior power forward Keith Clanton scored 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Marcus Jordan chipped in 10 points on just three shots. Sophomore forward Isaiah Sykes, the reigning C-USA Player of the Week, had nine points, six rebounds, three blocks, three assists and two steals. And true freshman Kasey Wilson played well off the bench with nine points and six rebounds in 12 minutes.

“The good thing about this team and the reason that we’ve won is that we’ve played as a team,” said Jones of a UCF squad that shot 50 percent and had five players with at least three field goals. “We don’t have to have one guy score a bunch of points for us anymore and we can win as a group.”

Up just 39-37 and Clanton saddled with three fouls midway through the second half, UCF used a spurt from the outside to grab control of the game. UCF got 3-pointers from Jordan, Rompza and Tristan Spurlock to spring ahead 50-41. Rompza, who also had a hard-driving layup during the run, said UCF’s willingness to share the ball has been key to their late-season success.

“This is the closest team and the best chemistry we’ve had as a team since in my four years here,” Rompza said. “Guys hang out with one another and get along with one another and they don’t care who scores. That’s why we’re being successful.”

Defense was another reason why the Knights were successful Saturday night. They held East Carolina (12-13 and 3-9) to 38 percent shooting from the floor and 16.7 percent from the 3-point line. The Pirates beat UCF three times last season, but have dropped both meetings against a much-improved UCF squad this season.

In a first half full of streaky play, UCF led 33-25 at the break by closing the first half with an 18-9 spurt. The Knights started quickly, played through a lull and then closed the half with a solid effort on both ends of the floor.

That Clanton played well in the first half and carried the Knights for long stretches was not a surprise. That Wilson, a true freshman from North Port, did the same thing might have been.

Wilson has increasingly won over the trust of Jones by adding muscle and improving as the season progresses. He made all three of his shots in the first half, shaking free for two layups and drilling a 3-pointer off a feed from Rompza.

“Coach is starting to trust me more and it’s helping me go out there on the court and be more confident,” Wilson said. “A.J. tells me all of the time to be confident and a lot of the guys on this team lift me up, so that helps a lot.”

As he has several times this season, Clanton was locked in and aggressive from the start of the game. He battered East Carolina with a variety of hook shots, scoring six of UCF’s first 11 points. He had 10 points, four rebounds, a dunk and a monstrous blocked shot in the first half for a UCF team that shot 52 percent in the first 20 minutes.

The Knights have four regular-season games remaining and Rompza wants to do whatever he can to extend the season into the postseason. The imminent end is starting to hit him hard and he wants to make the most of the closing run.

“I’ve just got two home games left,” Rompza said. “I’ve had a little shortened season and it went by fast. So I’m trying to make up for it, but not in a way with personal stats, but with team success.”

Southern Miss (21-4, 8-2 C-USA) led 37-27 at the half, but UCF (18-7, 7-4) used a 9-0 run to midway through the second half to get back into the game. The Knights got a big triple from Tristan Spurlock during the spurt and then took a 52-51 lead with 7:58 to play when A.J. Rompza nailed a 3-pointer.

Southern Miss countered with nine-straight points from Jonathan Mills and the hosts built their edge to 60-55 with 5:28 to go in the contest when Mills hit a jumper. The Knights continued to battle, and got within two points with a minute remaining after two free throws from Marcus Jordan, but Southern Miss hit 11 free throws in the final minute. After Jordan’s free throws, Spurlock fouled Neil Watson on a drive, and the Golden Eagle guard knocked down both foul shots. Southern Miss shot 29-of-37 (78.4 percent) from the line for the game, compared to 12-of-22 (54.5 percent) for the Knights.

“It is tough to get down on the road,” UCF head coach Donnie Jones said. “We didn’t quit and battled back. You can’t miss free throws on the road. Every point matters.”

The Golden Eagles are receiving votes in both national polls and improved to 11-0 at home with the win.

One of the most improved players in the conference, Sykes shot 11-of-14 overall Saturday. Sykes kept the Knights close throughout much of the first half, when he scored 12 points on 6-of-6 shooting. After the Golden Eagles went up 19-10 with 10:26 to go, Sykes scored three-straight baskets to cut the hosts’ edge to six points. Southern Miss then used a 3-pointer from LaShay Page to spark a 13-6 run to close the half.

“We’re really proud of Isaiah, he gave us everything he had,” Jones said.

UCF started the second half in strong fashion, getting within three points with 14:11 to play after Spurlock hit a 3-pointer. Southern Miss then responded with an 8-3 run that included a pair of dunks from Torye Pelham.

Jordan finished with 12 points for UCF and Rompza and Kasey Wilson both totaled nine points. A freshman, Wilson played well late in the game and scored all of his points after intermission.

Four Southern Miss players finished with double figures in scoring, led by Mills with 18 points. He shot 12-of-13 at the free-throw line.

UCF shot 59.3 percent from the floor in the second half and 52.7 percent for the game.

UCF will not play again until next Saturday when the Knights host East Carolina at 7 p.m. at the UCF Arena.