Perfection ends in Houston

The hole they dug was just too deep, and the No. 18 Knights lost their first game of the season on Saturday to Houston.

The Knights (14-1, 1-1) had their 14-game winning streak snapped against the Cougars (9-6, 1-1) 76-71. With the loss, the Knights' undefeated run is over, and they can't afford to mourn long because Conference USA play is in full swing.

"We did not get off to a good start. We made too many uncharacteristic mistakes," said head coach Donnie Jones in a release. "Every night in the league, people are going to come out at us like that and we need to respond better. I am proud of our effort to come back, but we need to do a better job from the start."

The Knights got off to a slow start they would not be able to overcome, trailing by as many as 18 in the first half. In the second half, the Knights were never able to take the lead or draw within closer than five points.

UCF outscored Houston by 10 in the second half, but it was not enough to erase the gaping 15-point halftime lead the Cougars used to fuel the upset.

The Knights were led in scoring by Tom Herzog and Keith Clanton, each with 13. Those points were not enough to counteract the Knights' 16 turnovers.

Zamal Nixon and Kirk Van Slyke led the Cougars with 17  points each, with 15 of Van Slykes' 17 coming in the first half.

It was the first loss for the Knights, but more importantly, it was a conference loss.

The team will need to rebound quickly, but it's not going to be easy for the Knights. While C-USA has recently been a very top-heavy conference, with a "Memphis, and then the rest" mentality, the whole conference appears on the rise.

Through the out-of-conference portion of the schedule, C-USA has placed two teams in the polls and had strong showings by other teams, such as Tulane at 12-3, and UTEP at 13-4.

"Without question, this is the best since I've been in it. In my fourth year in C-USA, the teams have done non-conference wise," Jones said. "From top to bottom we have great parity."

Memphis, consistently in the national spotlight and ranked No. 21, even after the departure of former coach John Calipari, has notched impressive victories against Miami and LSU. The team has three players averaging double figures and although there have been off games against Arkansas State and Austin Peay at home, the team found a way and won both games in overtime.

Southern Miss is also off to a great start, starting with an early victory this season against USF. UTEP, in their first year under former NBA coach Tim Floyd, is another team to watch out for, especially with dynamic guard Randy Culpepper.

"[In conference,] it's tough every single game," said junior A.J. Rompza. "Really, conference is just a whole ‘nother level. People come to play every single night. They scout you pretty much the whole year."

UCF feels that their out-of-conference schedule will benefit them as they enter C-USA play. Playing teams ranging from the Gators to Princeton, all teams with different styles, is what Jones says will help this team as they prepare for the grind of the next few months.

"We've played different types of programs to give [us] different types of hurdles that you got to prepare your team for," Jones said.