UCF has added a nonconference home-and-home series to its future football schedule with Northwestern and Pittsburgh.

The Knights will travel to Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Sept. 12, 2026, and the Panthers will return to Orlando on Sept. 15, 2029. The programs have met three times, with the most recent game coming in 2019 as UCF dropped a close road contest, 35-34. Pitt owns a 2-1 advantage in the series.

UCF will make its first-ever trip to Northwestern as the Knights are set to face the Wildcats at Ryan Field on Sept. 9, 2028. Northwestern will return to FBC Mortgage Stadium on Sept. 6, 2031.

“We look forward to welcoming visitors to Orlando from Pitt and Northwestern and the road games are fantastic cities for our fans to travel,” UCF AD Terry Mohajir said in a statement. “Pennsylvania is currently ranked a top-five state UCF students come from and Chicago is home to one of our top alumni communities.

“With a nine-game Big 12 schedule, we’re very strategic in how we schedule each year. Our philosophy for nonconference has been to play a Power Four, a Group of Five team and an FCS program. As we navigate the analytics of the new College Football Playoff, we will continue to evaluate how we schedule.”

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

FUTURE NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE

2025

Jacksonville State

North Carolina A&T

North Carolina

2026 

Bethune-Cookman

At Pittsburgh

UMass

2027

At North Carolina

UT Martin

Louisiana

2028

Maine

At Northwestern

Florida Atlantic

2029

James Madison

Pittsburgh

Jamal Murray’s intermittent injury report appearances this season are practically a crash course in human leg anatomy.

A hamstring. A knee. Both ankles. His shins.

Now, a calf.

None of the injuries have been severe enough to sideline him for more than three-ish weeks, but they’ve each been accompanied by a sense of foreboding, which is owed to the Nuggets’ recent playoff history with and without Murray. When he was healthy in 2023, they won a championship. When he was unavailable in 2022 due to a torn ACL, they were an easy first-round out.

So continues the cycle of unease, with Murray nursing a left calf strain as the Nuggets begin their 2024 second-round series Saturday against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Murray served a helping of optimism earlier this week when he scored 32 points on the injured calf in a close-out win over the Lakers.

But his individual performance doubled as a reminder of what the Nuggets would be missing if he suffered any complications to the injury from over-exertion: He became the first player in NBA history to make two game-winning shots inside of five seconds remaining in the same playoff series. He scored nine points in clutch time Monday — all via go-ahead baskets when Denver was tied or trailing. As usual, he took over as the team’s scoring engine with a game on the line, even more so than Nikola Jokic.

It seems simple: If the Nuggets want to survive Minnesota and return to the Western Conference Finals, a healthy and productive Murray is a necessity. Take it from one of Murray’s biggest fans: Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards.

“Jokic is the best player in the league,” Edwards told The Denver Post recently, “but without (Murray), they’re not a championship team.”

Earlier this season, Edwards was prompted during a video interview to reveal his favorite player in the NBA to watch right now. “Probably for real, for real, though, Jamal Murray,” Edwards said matter-of-factly, referring to Minnesota’s first-round loss to Denver last season. He went on to call Murray “the truth.”

So after Murray amassed 20 points and six assists April 10 in a 116-107 win over the Timberwolves — a win that turned out to be the reason Denver will host the first two games of this series — The Post asked Edwards to elaborate on why.

“I mean (expletive), he averaged 30 in the Western Conference Finals,” Edwards explained. “If you can find me somebody that don’t think Jamal Murray is one of the best (freaking) guards in the league, then they’re crazy. He averaged 30 in the Western Conference Finals. He’s the reason they won. I mean, without him, they’re not good. It’s just that simple.”

With a playoff rematch on the horizon, the comment turned out to be more prescient than even Edwards could have realized.

He and the Wolves are coming in hot off a sweep of Phoenix in which Edwards averaged 31 points, eight rebounds, 6.3 assists and two steals. Meanwhile, the Nuggets are 13-10 (.565) this season when Murray doesn’t play. They are 48-16 (.750) when he does, including the playoffs. In the regular season, the Nuggets averaged 7.8 more points per possession when he was on the floor than when he was off the floor And that’s not just a Jokic-dependent number; Murray often staggers with the Nuggets’ second unit while Jokic is on the bench.

Edwards may be a notorious trash-talker, but he didn’t intend for even a hint of shade in his comment. He said it in earnest — full compliments to Murray.

“He just can get hot,” Edwards said. “He sees one go in, he might make six, seven in a row, like he did tonight. I’m one of the guys that loves watching him play.”

Based on Murray’s own trepidation, his jump shot will be the primary cause for concern if he attempts to thread the needle between staying healthy and performing at a high level. Even after the encouraging series finale against the Lakers, his splits are 40% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range so far in the 2024 playoffs.

“I was moving well enough for me to go (in Game 5). Obviously that’s a big thing if you’re not moving well. But my biggest thing was jumping,” Murray said Monday. “I think it was tough for me to leave the ground, even just on jump shots. I tried to like have a deeper gather just so I didn’t put a lot of stress on my calves. So in the first quarter, the shots I took, I was just gathering a little more.

“… But now that we’ve got a week off, I’m just glad I get to rest the body and come back fresh and rejuvenated against the T-Wolves.”

Rejuvenated Jamal Murray vs. hindered Jamal Murray is the same as saying championship vs. bust for Denver. Ant Man knows.

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TAMPA — It didn’t take long after the Lightning’s season ended Monday night for general manager Julien BriseBois to begin engaging captain Steven Stamkos in preliminary contract extension talks.

As soon as the team plane landed back in Tampa following the Game 5 loss to the Panthers, BriseBois approached Stamkos to express his interest in keeping him in a Lightning uniform. A conversation with Stamkos’ agent followed Tuesday to feel out when formal negotiations could begin.

“Obviously, it’s our priority to see if we can get this done,” BriseBois said Wednesday during the team’s postseason media availability. “I’m very hopeful.”

After 16 seasons as the face of the franchise and two Stanley Cup titles during a future Hall of Fame career, Stamkos is a pending unrestricted free agent. He, BriseBois, his teammates and his coach want him to stay in Tampa Bay. Stamkos believes he can still win here, and the Lightning believe he’s a big part of extending their decade-long dominance as one of the league’s top teams.

Now comes the hard part: making it work under the salary cap.

Stamkos boosted his stock tremendously this season. At 34, he recorded his seventh 40-goal season and was the Lightning’s best player in their first-round loss to the Panthers. When Tampa Bay was on the verge of missing the postseason in early January, Stamkos helped right the ship and led a second-half surge.

“Last summer, for various reasons, a lot of leadership left our team, and nobody in our group raised their leadership game more than Steven Stamkos did to fill that void,” BriseBois said. “We strive for excellence with humility. Steven Stamkos has always represented excellence with humility, and never more so than these past few months. And the aim is for him to continue to play on a contending Tampa Bay Lightning team going forward.”

Before the season began, Stamkos expressed his frustration that there had not been extension talks last summer. He wanted to go into the season with a deal in place. BriseBois tabled talks until after the season, saying he needed to find out more about his team before committing to Stamkos.

Stamkos handled it all professionally and showed BriseBois his value on and off the ice.

“When you don’t have control of the situation, you just have to come to terms with that,” Stamkos said Wednesday. “I just tried to leave that at home, and when I came to the rink it never crossed my mind. It was just go out there and play and try to help our team just like I’ve always done.”

Now, both parties sit in similar spots, though after the season he had Stamkos holds the chips — just as he did in the summer of 2016, when he briefly tested the market before signing back with the Lightning.

But things are different now, and Stamkos’ ties to Tampa Bay are deeper. It would be special to him to be a one-team player, and even though the Lightning were eliminated in the first round for the second straight year, Stamkos believes the team still has a chance to compete for another Stanley Cup.

“Winning is still what fuels me,” he said. “Being a big part of that culture fuels me, and obviously certain things have changed now. I have an amazing young family that has put roots down in this city, and I really enjoy living here and playing here. So from that perspective the decision is more than just me now”

Stamkos’ teammates, many of whom spoke Wednesday as the team conducted exit interviews, said they believe Stamkos will stay — or at haven’t really considered the alternative.

“I just assume so,” forward Brandon Hagel said. “We’re all looking up to him, and he’s bringing this group together and also showing it on the ice. It’s incredible. And I’ve always said I think he’s going to go down as one of the best captains in the world.”

Said defenseman Victor Hedman, “It’s tough to look at this team without him here.”

The salary cap is expected to increase by just more than $4 million for 2024-25, which gives the Lightning just under $11 million of space with only 18 players under contract for next season, according to CapFriendly. That leaves roster slots still to fill, in addition to Stamkos. Asked whether he will have to move an existing contract to make room for Stamkos, BriseBois said, “Nothing’s off the table.”

BriseBois said he also is beginning extension talks this summer with Hedman, who is slated to become an unrestricted free agent after next season. BriseBois had a preliminary discussion with Hedman’s agent on Tuesday.

“We’d love to keep Victor going forward,” BriseBois said. “He’s the elite defenseman. He’s one of those special all-time players, all-time great Tampa Bay Lightning Bolt who’s still super productive, and I have no reason to believe that’s not going to be the case going forward.

“We have a better understanding of where the cap is at least now and next year. There is a new CBA that’s going to come in at some point. There are rumors of expansion drafts. We’re trying to factor all that in, but the plan would be to keep Victor going forward.”

Stamkos and Hedman have shown they have plenty of hockey left in them as they approach their mid-30s. Whether the team can keep both in Lightning uniforms through the remainder of their careers is the biggest question heading into the offseason.

“This is all we know,” Hedman said. “I’ve been here for almost half my life, and I couldn’t picture anything else. But it’s a process, it’s a business, and just moving forward here, my thought process is on next season. Hopefully, I won’t be in the same position as Steven, but you never know. So, hopefully we can get something done in the summer and my plan is to retire as a Bolt, and hopefully that comes true.”

By MICHAEL MAROT

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Pacers and New York Knicks understand the stakes.

Second chances are rare in the NBA playoffs, and if these two franchises intend to change their recent postseason histories, neither can afford to blow another opportunity in an Eastern Conference elimination game on Thursday night.

Both teams have 3-2 series leads and must make quick adjustments to rebound from their Game 5 losses.

“We got a little stagnant, holding the ball and playing a little slower,” Indiana guard Tyrese Haliburton said following Tuesday’s 115-92 loss at Milwaukee. “When teams switch, it can kind of lull you into that. We’ve got to be better there. I’ll be better there. Hell of an opportunity the next game back at home.”

Indiana hasn’t been to the Eastern Conference semifinals since beating Atlanta in 2014, but these Pacers have been defying trend lines all season.

The NBA’s highest-scoring team made the playoffs for the first time since 2020 and snapped a franchise-record 10-game postseason losing streak last week. Indiana is seeking to go 3-0 at home in a playoff series for the first time since the first round against Atlanta in 2013.

If the Pacers advance, they’ll face the winner of the Philadelphia-New York series.

“We’ve just got to get better, go back — we are home — and get a win,” said forward Pascal Siakam, who was part of Toronto’s title-winning team in 2019. “Obviously being at home, the crowd, it’s on us to just bring our energy and compete at the highest level.”

The severely short-handed Bucks took advantage of their energetic hometown fans Tuesday.

Bobby Portis Jr. rebounded from his early ejection in Game 4 to score a playoff career-high 29 points in a season-saving win. He said the derogatory chants from Pacers fans will fuel him in Game 6.

The bigger question is whether two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo or eight-time All-Star Damian Lillard could return Thursday. Antetokounmpo has not played since straining his left calf on April 9 and only started working out this week.

Lillard missed the last two games with an injury to his right Achilles tendon.

Coach Doc Rivers said Tuesday night he thought the two were “very, very, very close” to making it back on the court with the possibility of a second straight first-round exit looming.

“This team, they’re giving it to me. They’re doing everything, they really are,” Rivers said. “They’re playing together. They know we’re down men. They know they have to do it together. No one’s trying to be the hero. From a coach’s perspective, they’ve been amazing.”

For the Knicks, who visit Philadelphia for Game 6 following a wild 112-106 overtime loss at home, their past postseason results haven’t been much better than the Pacers.

While New York advanced to the second round last year for the first time since 2013, it was only the second time they’ve gotten that far since since Patrick Ewing left town following a 4-2 series loss in the 2000 Eastern Conference finals — to the Pacers. That also was the last time the Knicks made it past the first round in consecutive years, a drought that could end Thursday night.

“That’s all it really comes down to, a mistake here or there, a missed shot here or there, a missed free throw here or there,” Knicks guard Josh Hart said. “We’ve just got to make sure we’re sharp mentally and I think we’ll prepare and go out there and execute.”

KNICKS AT 76ERS

Knicks lead 3-2. Game 6, 9 p.m. EDT, TNT

– NEED TO KNOW: Tyrese Maxey saved Philadelphia from elimination with seven points in the final 25 seconds of regulation. He finished with 46 in the Game 5 victory. The 76ers trailed by six points with 28 seconds left in regulation before Maxey’s late scoring flurry evoked memories of Reggie Miller’s eight points in nine seconds for Indiana at Madison Square Garden in 1995. With Joel Embiid ailing, the Sixers need Maxey to come through again if they want to force a Game 7 in New York.

— KEEP AN EYE ON: A Maxey repeat. Maxey had the most points by a Philadelphia player in an elimination game, surpassing Hall of Famer Allen Iverson’s 44 in a Game 7 win against Milwaukee in the 2001 conference finals. The All-Star guard converted a four-point play with 25 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to two. After Hart made a free throw, Maxey’s pull-up jumper from 35 feet tied the score at 97 with 8.1 seconds to go in front of a stunned crowd primed to celebrate a series-clinching victory.

INJURY WATCH: New York’s Mitchell Robinson returned after missing Game 4 with a sprained left ankle, but the Knicks announced before the game that Bojan Bogdanovic would miss the rest of the playoffs and have surgery on the left foot he injured in Game 4. Embiid continues to battle a bad knee and Bell’s palsy, and he wasn’t his typical high-scoring self in Game 5 after coming into the game with an NBA-leading 35 points per game in the playoffs.

PRESSURE IS ON: The Sixers. It’s win or head home for an extended summer vacation. They needed a fantastic finish to survive Game 5 and avoid what seemed like certain elimination. They’ll need to pull out another Thursday, albeit in front of their home fans.