After UCF defeated No. 13 Texas A&M on the first day of play of the 2024-25 men’s college basketball season, Knights fans enjoyed the first-court rush as they exited the stands after a 64-61 victory on Monday.

And the Big 12 used the win to provoke the SEC on social media with a familiar phrase: “It just means more.”

👍 It just means more. pic.twitter.com/SKiA7xuhRA

— Big 12 Conference (@Big12Conference) November 5, 2024

In 2016, the SEC began using the phrase across all sports to tout its self-proclaimed supremacy.

This season, UCF was picked to finish 11th in the Big 12 preseason poll, while Wade Taylor IV, an all-SEC first-team selection last season, and Texas A&M were projected to finish fifth in their league entering the season .

“Incredible environment,” UCF coach Johnny Dawkins said on the broadcast after the win. “Who wouldn’t want to play here in front of this audience? Our student section is great. I’m really happy for our boys. Our fans come and support us. I just see the evolution of our program. “As the years go by, I’m just really excited to see where this program can go.

Taylor’s struggles – he finished Monday’s game with 13 points on 4-for-15 from the field – contributed to a tough road loss for a team that reached the NCAA Tournament last season and continued until the final moments of overtime against top-seeded Houston fought second round.

But Darius Johnson, a returning UCF veteran who finished with 24 points with 45 seconds to play, helped his team overcome a late double-digit deficit. Texas A&M led by 11 with 7:03 left.

Despite losing players from last year’s team who combined to score more than 30 points per game, Dawkins was confident in this group.

Dawkins & Co. are known for surprises.

Last season, UCF won 17 games and missed the NCAA Tournament, but the Knights also won the most games over ranked teams in school history. On Jan. 10, UCF fans stormed the court after a 65-60 victory over then-No. 1-3 Kansas. This team also beat Oklahoma and Texas Tech, both top 25 teams at the time.

After the first game of the season on Monday, UCF clearly remains in danger of further upsets.

“The one thing about our guys is they compete,” Dawkins said. “We beat a really good basketball team, an experienced team. I’m just really proud of our performance.”