The Utes built a 21-9 lead but the Knights started to cut into that deficit with some hot 3-point shooting, as UCF ended the first half making 6 of 10, including one just before the halftime buzzer to make it 40-39 going into the break. The Knights ended up making 10 of 24 3-pointers, while the Utes were 4 of 26.

The Knights outscored Utah 24-3 to open the second half keyed by Jordan Ivy-Curry’s 15 points and will face Kansas in the second round.

Keyshawn Hall scored 23 points to lead four UCF players in double-figures scoring, and the No. 14 seed Knights used a big run out of halftime to bury No. 11 seed Utah 87-72 in the opening round of the Big 12 Tournament on Tuesday night.