UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 1/17/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars

Date: Sunday, January 17, 2021

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: ESPNU

Odds/Point Spread: UCF (+13)

The Houston Cougars (10-1) host the UCF Knights (3-4) at Fertitta Center on Sunday. Houston opens this contest as 13-point favorites. The O/U opens at 128.5.

UCF heads into this contest with a win-loss record of 3-4 so far this season. The Knights are hitting 35.1% on shots from downtown (46 of 131) and 74.8% from the free throw line. They are averaging 64.6 points per contest (306th in the nation) while connecting on 40.3% from the floor. They cough up possession 13.4 times per game and as a squad they commit 18.7 fouls per game. As a team, UCF is collecting 34.0 rebounds per contest and has earned 73 dimes for the campaign, which is 319th in Division 1 in terms of passing the rock. On defense, the Knights have forced 14.6 turnovers every game while drawing 18.3 personal fouls. The Knights are giving up a shooting percentage of 41.9% (163 of 389) and they surrender 37.4 boards per contest as a squad. They are ranked 52nd in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 92 conceded on the campaign. They concede 32.3% on shots from downtown while they are 115th in the nation in PPG allowed (67.4).

The UCF Knights faced off with the Temple Owls and took a loss by a final of 62-55 in their last game. UCF finished with a 32.8% field goal percentage (19 of 58) and buried 7 of 19 three-point shots. From the free throw line, the Knights buried 10 of their 13 shots for a rate of 76.9%. With regard to getting rebounds, they earned a total of 35 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also dished out 14 assists for this game as well as getting 6 steals and 2 blocked shots. With respect to defending, UCF allowed 32.8% from the floor on 19 out of 58 shooting. Temple distributed 14 assists and had 6 steals for the contest. Moreover, the Owls pulled down 34 rebounds (7 offensive, 27 defensive) and added 2 rejections. Temple finished shooting 65.0% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of their 20 tries. They also converted 9 out of their 22 attempts from distance.

Darin Green is one guy who played a role for the contest. He scored 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 37 minutes and totaled 4 rebounds. Green ended up going 58.3% from the floor and also dished out 2 assists. One more player that was a major factor in the game for the Knights was Isaiah Adams. He collected 3 rebounds and tallied 2 dimes. He walked away from this one shooting 42.9% from the floor for this contest by shooting 6-of-14 (17 points). In all, Adams played 32 minutes.

Houston has a record of 10-1 on the campaign. The Cougars commit 20.5 fouls per game and they connect on 73.5% from the charity stripe. They are dishing out assists 11.2 times per contest (294th in college basketball) and they are losing possession via turnover 12.2 times per game. Houston has accounted for 804 pts for the year (73.1 per game) and they snag 42.4 rebounds per game. As an offense, the Cougars are shooting 40.9% from the floor, which has them ranked 300th in the nation. The Cougars defensively are ranked 2nd in D-1 in points given up per game with 56.4. The Houston defense surrenders 26.0% on shots from behind the 3-point line (51 of 196) and their opposition knocks down 65.8% of their free throw attempts. They surrender 8.4 assists and 32.3 rebounds on a nightly basis, which is ranked 3rd and 72nd in Division 1. They are able to force 15.7 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 36.5% from the floor (4th in the country).

In their last game, the Houston Cougars took home the win by a final score of 71-50 against the Tulane Green Wave. The Cougars earned 31 defensive rebounds and 16 offensive rebounds totaling 47 for this game. They also blocked 2 shots while getting 4 steals in this contest. The Green Wave earned 12 fouls in this contest which got the Cougars to the free throw line for a total of 4 shots. They were able to make 2 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 50.0%. When talking about shooting from downtown, Houston made 15 of their 36 attempts (41.7%). In all, the Cougars went 27 for 61 from the field which had them at 44.3%. The Cougars allowed the Green Wave to make 15 of their 52 tries from the field which had them at 28.8% for the matchup. They wrapped up this game 31.6% from three-point range by going 6 of 19 and finished the contest at 14 out of 17 at the free throw line (82.4%). When talking about cleaning the glass, Houston allowed Tulane to collect 21 overall (6 on the offensive side).

Marcus Sasser ended up being important for the Cougars for this contest. He converted 10 of 18 in this game giving him a field goal percentage of 55.6%, which earned him 28 points. Sasser snagged 2 rebounds in his 31 minutes and had 3 dimes for this contest. An additional guy that was pivotal for Houston was Quentin Grimes. He notched 14 points in 27 minutes played via 5 of 12 from the floor for the contest. Grimes wrapped this one up going 41.7% from the field while earning 3 assists and 3 total rebounds.

Who will win tonight's college basketball game against the spread?

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UCF (+13)

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