The 2016–17 UCF Knights women's basketball team represented the University of Central Florida during the 2016–17 NCAA Division I basketball season. The Knights compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the American Athletic Conference (The American). The Knights, in the program's 40th season of basketball, were led by first-year head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, and played their home games at the CFE Arena on the university's main campus in Orlando, Florida. Under Coach Abe, the Knights earned their first 20-win season since 2010-11 as well as their first-ever WNIT bid. They finished the season 21–12, 9–7 in AAC play to finish in fourth place. They advanced to the semifinals of the American Athletic women's tournament where they lost to Connectic