UCF

Mikey Williams Transfers To UCF After Legal Battle

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Former Memphis prospect Mikey Williams has transferred to UCF after entering the transfer portal earlier this week. “All I need was a chance,” Williams wrote on Instagram while announcing the transfer. The No. 49 player in the 2023 recruiting class, Williams never played a game for Memphis after being charged with nine felonies in March 2023. The ensuing legal battle, in which Williams would plead no contest to a lesser charge of making criminal threats, sidelined the San Ysdiro-raised guard. Williams does still have to fulfill several conditions before he is sentenced in August.

“We can confirm Mikey Williams has chosen to enter the transfer portal. The University process for him to join the men’s basketball program was underway, but Williams elected to explore his options at this time,” Memphis said in a statement earlier this week. It is unclear if Williams will be immediately available for UCF, or if he will have to wait until the 2024/25 season to play. The Knights picked up a huge win this week, knocking off one-loss No. 3 Kansas in a chaotic week of college basketball.

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Mikey Williams Pleads Guilty To Misdemeanor Offense

 
 
 
 
 
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As mentioned, the transfer comes after Williams pled guilty to a lesser charge in his legal battle in November. Prosecutors announced that Williams would have his nine felony charges reduced to a single misdemeanor. However, he must meet a number of conditions by his sentencing date in August 2024. These conditions include the completion of 80 hours of community service and the completion of both gun safety and anger management courses. Furthermore, Williams is prohibited from owning a firearm for 10 years. Prior to his plea deal, Williams was facing up to 28 years in prison if found guilty.

Despite Williams’ highly-touted potential, Memphis has shown that they are able to contend without him. The Tigers are 14-2 to start the season, with their only losses coming to Villanova and Ole Miss. Furthermore, their 14 wins include matchups against four ranked opponents (Arkansas, Texas A&M, Clemson, and Virginia).

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No. 3 Kansas Fall To Unranked Team Day After No. 1 Purdue & No. 2 Houston

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No. 3 Kansas fell 65-60 to unranked UCF on Wednesday, meaning that for the first time in 20 years, the top three ranked men’s teams in the nation all lost to unranked teams in a two-day span. Down 16 at half-time, the team rallied to beat their first ranked opponent since 2020 and their highest-ranked opponent in team history. UCF beat No. 4 UConn in 2012 to set the team’s previous benchmark.

“We kept believing, and our guys kept fighting. We got off to a really good start in the game. They have a championship pedigree. A championship program. Great coach. And I feel like guys just kept fighting. We knew we couldn’t get it all back in one possession. So what we wanted to do was chip away, chip away. And I thought we did that by halftime, and we carried that momentum into the second half,” head coach Johnny Dawkins said after the game.

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Kansas Join Purdue And Houston In Infamous History

However, as mentioned, Kansas is just the latest ranked team to fall to unranked opposition. On Tuesday, the top two teams in college basketball fell to unranked opponents. It was the first time since February 2016 that the top two teams lost on the same day. No. 1 Purdue, riding a seven-game winning streak, was stunned by a high-flying Nebraska team that has started the season 13-3. It was Nebraska’s first win over a No. 1-ranked team since 1982. Furthermore, it’s the fourth time in the past two seasons that Purdue has fallen to an unranked team. Earlier this season, the Boilermakers were shocked by Northwestern.

Meanwhile, No. 2 Houston entered the day as the last undefeated team in men’s college basketball. However, they seemed unable to mount a response to Iowa State, who raced out to a 14-0 lead in the opening minutes of the game. “It was important that we came out and set the tone with the game. We talked about we need to throw the first punch, we need to be the aggressor, we need to be the team that sets the tone,” Iowa State head coach T.J. Otzelberger said after the game. Iowa improved to 12-3 on the season with the win.

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