Both UCF and Cincinnati advanced to the second round of the NIT Wednesday, March 15.

Wednesday, March 15
UCF 67, Florida 49 - Box Score
Cincinnati 81, Virginia Tech 72 - Box Score

UCF 67, Florida 49 - Box Score
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — CJ Kelly scored 21 points and UCF beat No. 4 seed Florida 67-49 on Wednesday night in the NIT.

UCF (19-14) advances to the second round to play the winner of the Oregon-UC Irvine game.

Kelly shot 9 for 13, including 2 for 4 from beyond the arc for the Knights. Taylor Hendricks scored 17 points and added eight rebounds. Ithiel Horton recorded 12 points and shot 5 for 10, including 2 for 6 from beyond the arc.

Riley Kugel led the way for the Gators (16-17) with 13 points. Niels Lane and Myreon Jones each added six points. Florida lost eight of its last 11 contests, and went without its leading scorer, Colin Castleton, since Feb. 15 due to a broken hand.

UCF took the lead with 11:52 left in the first half and never looked back. Hendricks led his team in scoring with 13 points in the first half to help put them up 35-26 at the break. UCF pulled away with a 9-0 run in the second half to extend a nine-point lead to 18 points. They outscored Florida by nine points in the final half, as Kelly led the way with a team-high 14.

The Knights and Gators squared off for the first time since 2012.

Cincinnati 81, Virginia Tech 72 - Box Score
CINCINNATI?– Senior wing Jeremiah Davenport banked in a 3-pointer with 5:35 left to break a 63-63 tie as the Cincinnati men's basketball team held off Virginia Tech for an 81-72 victory on Wednesday night during the first round of the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) at Fifth Third Arena.

Graduate guard David DeJulius scored 21 points and dished seven assists, while redshirt senior Landers Nolley tallied a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double against the team with whom he started his career.

The game featured 13 lead changes and 11 ties as Cincinnnati improved to 22-12 on the season.

The Bearcats will face Hofstra in the second round of the NIT this weekend with the date, time and location still to be determined.