Addition Financial Arena was filled to the rafters on Saturday as fans turned out in force to welcome a new season of Big 12 basketball.

A near-sellout was expected, courtesy of a hot start by UCF and the appearance of No. 17 Kansas. A sea of blue and red washed over much of the lower bowl of the 9,000-seat venue as KU fans showed up in large numbers to catch a glimpse of this season’s Jayhawks.

Knights fans were eager to see if this year’s team could live up to the early excitement as the team entered the game winners of 10 straight and off to one of its best starts in program history.

The atmosphere lived up to a conference opener as fans were on the edge of their seats until Jordan Burks’ 3-pointer with 41 seconds left helped UCF upset Kansas 81-75, sending fans spilling onto the court in celebration.

UCF (12-1, 1-0 Big 12) has won 11 consecutive games for the first time since the 2011-12 season.

The Knights also ended a three-game skid against Kansas, earning their first win over the Jayhawks (9-4, 0-1 Big 12) since a 65-60 victory on Jan. 10, 2024.

“It’s important to get off to a good start,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said after the win, his 335th of his career. “It’s more important how we play. We talked about not playing the opponent in front of us. We’re trying to play to our standards.

“A lot of those guys hadn’t played in the Big 12. They hadn’t played in the conference like this, so I knew it would be their first time. I wanted them to go out there and follow their hearts, play for each other and they did that.”

Burks’ crucial shot broke a 72-72 tie with just 1:16 remaining in the game.

UCF guard Themus Fulks then made a free throw, pushing the lead to 76-72. However, Kansas guard Tre White responded by sinking three consecutive free throws, narrowing the gap to 76-75 with only 16 seconds on the clock. Riley Kugel was fouled on a layup, ultimately securing the victory for the Knights.

Devan Cambridge added two more free throws at the end to finalize the score.

It was the first win over a ranked opponent since defeating then-No. 9 Texas Tech on Dec. 31, 2024, and improved the program’s record to 4-16 overall against ranked foes since joining the Big 12 in 2023.

Kugel led the Knights with 19 points, while Fulks had 16 and Burks had 14.

“It was just a poor, poor defensive effort,” said Kansas coach Bill Self. “We’ve guarded a lot better than that of late, but that was a poor performance today.”

Fulks took the opening tip and shook off a Kansas defender, racing to the basket for the game’s opening points.

But the Jayhawks were relentless as freshman guard Darryn Peterson, considered the top prospect in the upcoming NBA draft, scored 11 points in the first seven minutes for KU.

UCF weathered a long-distance barrage as Kansas connected on 5 of its first 8 3-point shots, building an early 6-point lead. However, the Knights made an 11-4 run to retake the lead at 24-23, sparked by Kugel, who scored 8 straight points.

#UCF fans storm the court after defeating No. 17 Kansas on Saturday in their Big 12 opener. pic.twitter.com/ijBZ4th5ks

— Matt Murschel (@osmattmurschel) January 3, 2026

The Knights stretched the lead to as many as 7 points at 36-29 before Kansas made a run to slice the advantage to 44-41 at the half.

Peterson scored 11 points in the final five minutes, setting a new career high of 23 points along the way.

UCF started the second half as it did the first, with Fulks weaving past Kansas defenders for a layup. The Knights scored 4 straight points to extend their lead to 48-41.

But the Jayhawks went on an 18-11 run to tie the game at 59, but Peterson left the game at the 10:55 mark and didn’t return. After his departure, Kansas scored just one field goal over six minutes.

Every time UCF built a lead, Kansas made a run to keep the game close.

Both teams went nearly four minutes without a point until UCF forward Burk’s layup stretched the Knights’ lead to 68-61 with 5 minutes left. A pair of free throws by Fulks gave the team its largest lead of the game at 70-61.

Kansas put together an 11-2 run to claw back and tie the game at 72, right before Burks’ shot.

“It’s surreal, me and Jamichael [Stillwell], we were talking about this last year, we were figuring out what schools to go to in the portal,” said Fulks. “This is what we dreamt of when we were looking forward to this opportunity. So it was Kansas tonight, Oklahoma State next. These opportunities, we want to show we deserve to be up there with the better half of the country.”

Peterson led three Jayhawks in scoring with 26 points, along with Melvin Council Jr.’s 20 and White’s 14.

UCF finished with nine turnovers, the fourth time in 13 games the team finished under double digits. The Knights also managed 18 points off the bench as Dawkins leaned heavily on the team’s depth, using 10 players.

“Our group is one that’s built with depth,” said Dawkins. “We trust a lot of our players to come in and contribute. So, as long as they continue to do that, we will continue to play with as much depth as we could play with.”

UCF travels to Oklahoma State on Tuesday (8 p.m., ESPN+) for its first Big 12 road game of the season before returning home to host Cincinnati on Sunday, Jan. 11 at 5 p.m.

Please find me on X, Bluesky or Instagram @osmattmurschel. Email: mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com. Sign up for the Sentinel’s Knights Weekly newsletter for a roundup of all our UCF coverage.