UCF came up one win short of capturing the first College Basketball Crown, falling Sunday evening in a wild, back-and-forth showdown against Nebraska.
The Cornhuskers led by as many as 12 in the first half, trailed by 14 in the second and then scored 42 of the game's final 57 points to pull away from UCF for a 77-66 victory at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Brice Williams and Connor Essegian had 21 points apiece for Nebraska, while Juwan Gary added 20 points and eight rebounds.
Nebraska also secured the grand-prize NIL payout of $300,000, courtesy of the Crown and its corporate partner, Vivid Seats. UCF's players will split the runner-up's purse of $100,000.
Thus, the longest basketball season in Knights history is finally over. UCF closes with a 20-17 record, notching significant wins over Texas A&M and Texas Tech before New Year's Day and embarking on a seven-game losing streak in February that derailed any chance of an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.
However, the Knights — despite a shorthanded, portal-plundered roster — capitalized on their invitation to the Crown by defeating Oregon State, Cincinnati and Villanova in the space of five days to reach the final.
Before officially putting the 2024-25 campaign in the books, here are five ...
