Henriquez sidelined for 2-3 weeks
UCF will be without Adonys Henriquez for at least the next two weeks.
The sophomore suffered a sprained knee after taking an awkward fall in the Jan. 31 game against UConn and has missed the last two games.
"We're looking at two to three weeks," UCF coach Donnie Jones said after Saturday's 62-60 loss to Temple. "We'll see how he progresses. He's not on the floor yet. Our strength and conditioning and training teams are doing a great job with him. He's working double sessions a day. The biggest thing is I don't want to bring him back too quick if it bothers him. I want to get him as healthy as we can for this final stretch. I'm really proud of how hard he's working. I know it's hard for him to sit and watch. It's hard for me to have him sitting over there watching."
Henriquez had started 49 straight games since arriving at UCF as a freshman last season. He's the team's second-leading scorer, averaging 10.1 points per game.
Tanksley Efianayi has started the past two games in Henriquez's place.
"Tank I thought stepped in and played as well as he could," Jones said. "He got 37 minutes (against Temple), 11 points and defensively I thought he did a terrific job on (Temple's Quenton) DeCosey when he was guarding him. I'm starting to see him get comfortable. Like most junior college guys, it takes at least half a semester to figure out plays and how to fit in, not search for shots every time you get the ball. He's learning to do all those things that helps impact winning."
UCF is also playing the entire season without point guard B.J. Taylor, who led the Knights in scoring as a freshman last season. In late December the school announced Taylor would redshirt while continuing to recover from a slow-healing bone bruise in his foot.
The Knights (11-10, 5-5 AAC) host Cincinnati (17-7, 7-4 AAC) at CFE Arena on Tuesday night. Like UCF, the Bearcats are coming off a loss after falling to 63-59 at Memphis on Saturday.
"They're one of the best teams in our league," Jones said. "Well coached with veterans and they're tough. They play a different way that's really hard to prepare for. We've got a young basketball team that still believes and has bought in. We've still got eight games to play before it's tournament time. You can't win a championship right now. It's going to come down to the end with how well we're playing and how we finish."