Knights host Palm Beach Atlantic tonight

The Knights (15-6, 5-3) won't have too long to dwell on their disappointing loss Saturday night.

With no midweek league game scheduled this week, the Knights will have an out-of-conference matchup tonight against Palm Beach Atlantic (4-16).

The Division II Sailfish are coming off consecutive losses of their own, part of a season that has seen multiple losing streaks for head coach Terry Primm's squad.

Players to watch

Junior guard Dante Valentine is leading Palm Beach Atlantic this season with 13.1 points per game and shooting 42 percent from the field. Should the Knights go man-to-man defensively, Valentine, who is listed at 5-foot-10, will likely matchup with UCF senior guard A.J. Rompza.

Despite his height, Valentine is also averaging 5.5 rebounds per contest.

The team's leading rebounder, freshman forward Marcus Hardy, is averaging 5.9 boards and 9.1 per game. Hardy is also a threat defensively, with 19 blocks and 27 steals on the season so far.

The buzz

This game should almost serve a tune-up for the Knights before they embark down the second half of league play. A dominant win here followed by four days rest before facing SMU on Saturday should give UCF an opportunity to address some issues while it is still very much alive in league play; the Knights are only two games back in the standings.