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 UCF 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,” UCF 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.”

UCF 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, UCF 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 UCF 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. UCF’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.”

UCF is honored to announce Addition Financial as the first financial institution to be recognized as a Pegasus Partner. Addition Financial joins AdventHealth, Orlando Health and Nemours Children’s Health as organizations that share the university’s vision and commitment to continuing to lead the region in key industries such as aerospace, engineering, defense, optics, digital media, finance and healthcare. Pegasus Partners engage across the university in ways that create meaningful value for both organizations, including talent development and recruitment, shared research projects, joint ventures and strategic philanthropy.

“We are grateful for this new level of partnership between Addition Financial and UCF,” says UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright. “As our newest Pegasus Partner, we look forward to continuing our longstanding collaboration to create opportunities for UCF students and faculty and to improve outcomes for individuals across our community through the transformative power of education.”

“We are grateful for this new level of partnership between Addition Financial and UCF.” —UCF President Alexander N. Cartwright

As a new Pegasus Partner, Addition Financial generously supports the, the new and expanded home for UCF’s College of Nursing that is anticipated to open in Fall 2025 and that will help the university graduate 150 much-needed additional nurses each year. They’re also a core supporter of UCF Downtown, where students gain invaluable real-world experiences in the heart of Downtown Orlando.

By investing in UCF Downtown, which opened five years ago, the credit union helped the university partner with Valencia College to establish a campus that is now home to the nation’s top-ranked graduate video game design and emergency management programs. Students benefit from many internship and job opportunities in industries, as well as government and nonprofit offices, located in or near downtown Orlando.

Addition Financial Arena has hosted major UCF basketball wins and sold-out crowds, including the men’s basketball team’s upset over No. 3 Kansas last season in its first-ever Big 12 home game. Over the past five years, the arena has hosted 1.4 million visitors  for university commencement ceremonies, basketball home games, concerts and other events.

In total, Addition Financial’s philanthropic support of UCF, as well as its projects and programs, has exceeded $25.8 million throughout the course of 20 years. The credit union has operated a branch on UCF’s main campus since 1971.

With a strategic eye on preparing students with the skills they need to succeed in the workforce, Addition Financial is collaborating with UCF to grow its internship program. They’re working to engage annually in student research projects within multiple colleges, and to expand how the company uses faculty expertise to respond to key business challenges and opportunities.

“Addition Financial’s longstanding and successful partnership with UCF speaks volumes to the deep commitment we share in improving the Central Florida community,” says Kevin Miller, president and CEO of Addition Financial Credit Union. “As a credit union founded nearly 90 years ago by educators, witnessing UCF unleashing the true potential of its students, Addition Financial is proud to be the first financial institution to be a UCF Pegasus Partner.”

Like UCF, Addition Financial strongly believes in the power of education to transform lives. That philosophy drives the credit union’s support for UCF, as well as its focus on financial literacy. The state-chartered credit union was founded in 1937 by a group of 23 educators who aimed to create a better financial alternative for its members. The credit union has completed more than $60,000 in K-12 classroom renovations and grants and more than $70,000 in scholarships annually through the Addition Financial Foundation.

“For more than a decade, Addition Financial has been part of the College of Business student experience through professional development workshops, internship opportunities and support for our young entrepreneurs through sponsorship of the Joust,” says  Paul Jarley says. “Kevin and his team have also been at the forefront of our efforts to introduce our faculty to the community through sponsorship of our Dean’s Speaker Series in downtown Orlando. Recognition as a Pegasus Partner is very well-deserved, and we are grateful for their support.”

An Environment of Excellence

Addition Financial’s substantial contributions have enhanced the student experience and created an environment of excellence, goals that UCF hopes will attract additional Pegasus Partners. UCF alumni account for the largest part of the team at Addition, from interns to leadership, and even make up the majority of its board of directors.

To encourage the mutually beneficial relationship and regular conversations that already exist between UCF and Addition Financial, UCF has created the President’s Industry Advisory Council, where representatives of the Pegasus Partners program will hold a seat, providing input to President Cartwright and exchanging ideas with other members of the Council on topics of current interest to the university and its partners.

Joining the new President’s Industry Advisory Council will be Kevin Miller, president and chief executive officer of Addition Financial.

Miller, a graduate of the şŁ˝ÇÖ±˛Ą of Pittsburgh and Emory Law School in Atlanta, has worked at Addition Financial since 2004. His personal philanthropic and community involvement also involves UCF; his wife, Kari Miller ’04MEd is an alumna. Together, the Millers have also supported UCF for more than 20 years, including the and the UCF Student Housing Insecurity Fund, the College of Community Innovation and Education, UCF Downtown, and the College of Nursing.  Another of the Millers’ major areas of interest includes

Miller is an elected director for UCF Foundation Inc. and serves on the UCF Downtown Executive Advisory Council. He is also past chairman of the Foundation for Seminole County Schools and a board member for A Gift for Teaching and the Galileo School for Gifted Learning.

With an obvious passion for education, especially for public education, Miller enjoys engaging with UCF and, together with his wife, bringing their children to sporting events, UCF Celebrates the Arts, the Dean’s Speaker Series and the university’s theatre program.

“UCF and Addition Financial have transformed countless lives together, but today, this powerful partnership spreads its wings to truly soar,” says Rodney Grabowski, senior vice president for Advancement and Partnerships and CEO of the UCF Foundation. “Our collective vision for the future includes an expansion of the Addition Financial internship program and the 2025 grand opening of the Dr. Phillips Nursing Pavilion, both of which expound on our commitment to fuel Central Florida’s talent pipeline and workforce for the future. We’ll spark new mutually beneficial connections between industry, students and faculty by further engaging them in student research projects and growing upon how the company uses faculty expertise to respond to key business challenges and opportunities. Their designation as a Pegasus Partner represents a new and exciting chapter that we can all expect incredible impact from.”