5 UCF basketball takeaways after transfer portal closes

ORLANDO — Johnny Dawkins and the UCF Knights ended a seven-year NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament absence last month. Now, the challenge is maintaining that status as a Big 12 Conference contender amid the annual chaos created by the transfer portal . Dawkins found value last spring and signed many of the key pieces of a squad that went 21-12 with three wins against ranked opponents.

UCF earned an at-large tournament bid for just the second time in school history, seeded 10th in the East region but ultimately falling to UCLA in a first-round matchup in Philadelphia . With the portal closed, it's time to get a first real look at what the Knights gained and lost in the offseason. Here are five takeaways from UCF's transactions to date.

1. Johnny Dawkins won't have to completely start over In 2025-26, UCF was one of five power-conference teams that did not return a single player who scored a basket the previous season. Projected incumbents Keyshawn Hall (Auburn) and Moustapha Thiam (Cincinnati) landed lucrative deals elsewhere, and Dawkins rebuilt the squad from the ground up.

Of course, the Knights hit on many of their evaluations — Riley Kugel, Themus Fulks, Jamichael Stillwell, Jordan Burks, etc. — and built a roster deep enough not only to contend in the Big 12 but qualify for the NCAA Tournament. Dawkins will not need to overhaul the entire team this year as UCF retained starting center John Bol, reserve shooting guard Carmelo Pacheco, quick-handed point guard Arturo Dean and backup big man Elijah Hulsewe.