UCF Knights vs SMU Mustangs Prediction, 1/2/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs SMU Mustangs

Date: Sunday, January 2, 2022

Location: Moody Coliseum in University Park, TX

TV: ESPNU

The SMU Mustangs (10-3) are hosting the UCF Knights (9-2) at Moody Coliseum on Sunday.

The UCF Knights took the court against Michigan and took home the win by a score of 85-71 in their last game. UCF finished the game having earned a 51.8% FG percentage (29 out of 56) and converted 12 out of their 20 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Knights converted 15 of their 20 shots for a rate of 75.0%. When discussing hauling in boards, they earned 31 with 4 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 20 assists for the contest in addition to forcing the other team into 7 turnovers and earning 6 steals. With regard to defense, UCF allowed 39.7% from the floor on 25 of 63 shooting. Michigan doled out 11 assists and had 1 steal in this contest. In addition, Michigan grabbed 34 boards (11 offensive, 23 defensive), but wasn't able to put a block in the stat sheet. Michigan finished 76.9% at the free throw line by making 10 of 13 shots. They also knocked down 11 out of their 27 shots from distance. Regarding fouls, the Knights left the arena with 12 while Michigan accounted for 14 fouls.

Brandon Mahan is one guy who was a contributor for the contest. He ended up walking away with 26 points on 8 of 10 shooting. He played 31 mins and grabbed 7 rebounds. He ended up going 80.0% from the field and recorded 3 assists.

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UCF will enter this game with a win-loss record of 9-2 for the year. They average 74.6 pts per game (127th in D-1) while going 46.7% from the field. The Knights are hitting 35.7% on shots from downtown (89 of 249) and 79.0% from the charity stripe. As a unit, UCF is grabbing 34.6 boards per game and has totaled 167 assists for the campaign, which is 179th in the country in terms of passing the ball. They cough up possession 13.5 times per contest and as a squad they commit 14.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

Defensively, the Knights are forcing their opponents into 15.2 turnovers every game and they draw 16.6 fouls. They are ranked 85th in the country in giving up assists with 132 conceded so far this season. The Knights are giving up a FG percentage of 40.7% (249 of 612) and they surrender 31.4 boards per game as a squad. They are relinquishing 29.1% on shots from downtown and they are ranked 89th in the nation in opponents points per game (64.3).

When they last played, the SMU Mustangs walked away with a victory by a final of 74-69 when they played Tulsa. The Mustangs pulled down 27 defensive boards and 10 offensive boards for a total of 37 in this matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 11 times, while earning 1 steal in the game. Tulsa committed 22 personal fouls in this contest which got the Mustangs to the free throw line for a total of 24 attempts. They were able to bury 17 of the free throws for a rate of 70.8%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, SMU buried 11 of 30 tries (36.7%). When this game wrapped up, the Mustangs finished 23 out of 51 from the field which had them shooting 45.1%. The Mustangs permitted Tulsa to make 30 out of their 66 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 45.5% in the matchup. They finished shooting 38.5% from three-point range by hitting 5 of 13 and finished the contest at 4 out of 5 at the charity stripe (80.0%). In reference to team rebounding, SMU permitted Tulsa to get 30 in total (9 offensive).

Kendric Davis pitched in for the Mustangs for this contest. He converted 8 of 16 for this contest for a field goal rate of 50.0%, and accumulated 4 rebounds. He earned 26 points in his 36 mins on the court and had 3 dimes for this contest.

SMU has a mark of 10-3 so far this season. On the offensive side of the ball, the Mustangs are shooting 46.7% from the field, which ranks them 75th in D-1. SMU has 1,024 points for the campaign (78.8 per game) and they grab 39.2 boards per contest. They are earning an assist 14.4 times per contest (122nd in the country) and they turn it over 12.5 times per game. The Mustangs are committing 15.1 fouls per game and they hit 74.1% from the free throw line.

The Mustangs on defense are ranked 191st in Division 1 in points per game surrendered with 68.6. They have forced 12.0 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 39.5% from the field (60th in college hoops). The SMU defense allows 29.7% on 3-point shots (91 of 306) and their opposition makes 71.8% of their foul shots. They have allowed 12.9 assists and 35.6 rebounds every game, which has them ranked 210th and 224th in the nation.

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take UCF

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