UCF Knights vs South Florida Bulls Prediction, 1/2/2021 College Basketball Pick, Tips and Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs USF Bulls

Date: Saturday, January 2, 2021

Location: Yuengling Center in Tampa, FL

TV: ESPN+

Odds/Point Spread: UCF (+2)

The UCF Knights (3-2) are headed to Yuengling Center on Saturday where they'll take on the USF Bulls (5-4). UCF opens this matchup as 2-point dogs. The O/U opens at 130.5.

UCF heads into this contest with a win-loss mark of 3-2 so far this season. The Knights are shooting 34.4% on three-point attempts (32 of 93) and 75.9% from the free throw line. They have an average of 67.2 pts per game (269th in college basketball) while shooting 41.0% from the field. They are turning it over 13.2 times per game and as a unit they are committing 19.6 fouls on a nightly basis. As a team, UCF is collecting 33.2 rebounds per game and has accounted for 45 dimes this year, which ranks 314th in D-1 in terms of passing the ball. Defensively, the Knights are forcing 15.0 turnovers per game and they draw 20.6 personal fouls. They are ranked 55th in the nation in allowing assists with 65 relinquished on the year. The Knights are giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (117 of 280) and they surrender 37.2 boards per game as a team. They give up 30.2% on 3-point attempts and they are ranked 150th in college hoops in PPG allowed (68.4).

The UCF Knights faced off with the Houston Cougars and walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 63-54 in their last contest. UCF walked away from the contest having earned a 37.2% FG percentage (16 of 43) and made 2 of 13 3-point attempts. When they shot from the free throw line, the Knights made 20 of 28 attempts for a percentage of 71.4%. Pertaining to pulling down boards, they compiled a total of 30 with 10 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 6 assists in the game as well as getting 4 steals and 2 rejections. In the matter of defense, UCF allowed the other team to shoot 37.2% from the floor on 16 of 43 shooting. Houston distributed 9 dimes and had 9 steals for the game. Moreover, the Cougars grabbed 23 rebounds (5 offensive, 18 defensive) and got 2 blocked shots. Houston finished the game shooting 76.9% at the free throw line by knocking down 20 of their 26 tries. They buried 7 of 25 attempts from beyond the perimeter.

Brandon Mahan is one player who played a role in this contest. He left the arena with 13 points on 4 out of 8 shooting. He played 36 minutes and also collected 5 rebounds. Mahan finished the game at 50.0% from the field and also dished out 2 assists. One more player that was a factor in this matchup for the Knights was Darius Perry. He collected 3 rebounds and also totaled 2 dimes. He ended up going 28.6% from the floor in the matchup via 2-of-7 (13 points). Overall, Perry played 20 minutes.

South Florida has a record of 5-4 on the campaign. South Florida has accounted for 635 pts so far this season (70.6 per game) and they grab 39.4 rebounds per game. The Bulls are committing 18.3 personal fouls every game and they hit 61.8% from the free throw line. When it comes to offensive execution, the Bulls are shooting 43.7% from the floor, which is 218th in the country. Their rate of dishing out assists is at 11.9 times per game (265th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 14.7 times per contest. The Bulls on the defensive end are ranked 165th in college basketball in PPG given up with 70.0. The South Florida defense surrenders 28.2% on three-point shots (62 of 220) and opponents are converting on 72.6% of their foul shots. They relinquish 14.1 dimes and 31.9 boards every game, which is 239th and 66th in those categories. They are forcing 13.3 turnovers per game and allow teams to shoot 43.4% from the field (204th in college hoops).

For their last game, the USF Bulls took a loss by a score of 58-57 against the Memphis Tigers. The Bulls snagged 21 defensive rebounds and 5 offensive rebounds for a total of 26 in the matchup. They stuffed 3 shots while recording 8 steals in this contest. The Tigers committed 12 personal fouls in the game which got the Bulls to the free throw line for 8 attempts. They were able to make 6 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 75.0%. Pertaining to shooting from downtown, South Florida buried 7 of their 13 attempts (53.8%). In all, the Bulls shot 22 for 52 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.3%. The Bulls allowed the Tigers to convert 24 of 53 attempts from the floor which gave them a rate of 45.3% for the contest. They finished 26.7% from three-point range by shooting 4 of 15 and finished the game at 6 out of 10 at the free throw line (60.0%). In relation to cleaning up the glass, South Florida permitted Memphis to get 23 in total (6 on the offensive glass).

Caleb Murphy ended up being a major contributor for the Bulls for the contest. He made 9 of 18 in this contest for a rate of 50.0%, which got him 20 points. Murphy pulled down 4 rebounds in his 29 minutes and had 3 assists in this matchup. Someone else who was a determining factor for South Florida was Justin Brown. He notched 11 points in his 36 minutes played via 4 of 5 shooting for this contest. Brown walked away from this one going 80.0% from the floor while also earning 2 dimes and 2 boards.

So what is Tonights Parlay prediction?

Parlay's Pundit's Pick: Take South Florida (-2) and under 130.5 points

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