UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars Prediction, 12/31/2022 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Houston Cougars

Date: Saturday, December 31, 2022

Location: Fertitta Center in Houston, TX

TV: Youtube TV

The Houston Cougars (12-1) will try to beat the UCF Knights (9-3) at Fertitta Center on Saturday.

The UCF Knights took the court against Stetson and took home the win by a score of 73-58 in their last game. When talking about fouls, the Knights walked away with 9 while Stetson recorded 13 fouls. They also knocked down 9 of their 28 tries from beyond the perimeter. Stetson walked away from this one shooting 60.0% when shooting free throws by converting 3 of their 5 attempts. Furthermore, Stetson grabbed 27 rebounds (12 offensive, 15 defensive), but didn't have a block. Stetson earned 15 assists and had 3 steals for the matchup. Regarding defense, UCF allowed their opponent to shoot 38.3% from the floor on 23 of 60 shooting. They also doled out 20 dimes for this contest while creating 7 turnovers and earning 5 steals. When talking about rebounding, they earned 36 with 13 of them being on the offensive end. At the free throw line, the Knights converted 7 of 8 shots for a percentage of 87.5%. UCF ended with a 48.3% field goal percentage (29 of 60) and converted 8 of 22 shots from downtown.

Taylor Hendricks is a player who played a role for the contest. He finished the contest at 35.0% from the field and recorded 5 assists. He was on the court for 39 mins and collected 10 rebounds. He accounted for 16 points on 7 of 20 shooting.

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UCF comes into this matchup with a win-loss record of 9-3 on the season. They are turning it over 14.3 times per game and as a basketball team they commit 15.6 fouls every game. As a unit, UCF is snagging 37.3 rebounds per game and is sitting with 164 assists this year, which has them ranked 233rd in college hoops in terms of passing the ball. The Knights are hitting 37.8% on three-point shots (104 of 275) and 71.6% from the free throw line. They average 71.3 pts per game (200th in the nation) while hitting 43.9% from the field.

When they are on the defensive end, the Knights are forcing 14.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and they draw 17.4 fouls. They rank 83rd in D-1 in allowing assists to the opposition with 139 surrendered for the year. The Knights are giving up and opponent field goal percentage of 39.0% (262 of 671) and they relinquish 32.8 rebounds per game as a unit. They relinquish 30.0% from beyond the arc and they are 27th in college basketball in points per game allowed (60.8).

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Houston Cougars went home victorious with a score of 83-44 when they played McNeese State. The Cougars collected 27 defensive boards and 16 offensive boards totaling 43 for the matchup. They also gave up possession of the ball 12 times, while recording 8 steals in this contest. McNeese State committed 12 fouls in this contest which got the Cougars to the charity stripe for a total of 10 shots. They were able to bury 5 of those for a percentage of 50.0%. When it comes to shots from downtown, Houston converted 14 of 33 tries (42.4%). When the final whistle blew, the Cougars finished shooting 32 out of 61 from the field which gave them a percentage of 52.5%. The Cougars allowed McNeese State to make 18 of their 49 tries from the field which gave them a percentage of 36.7% in this matchup. They finished 25.0% from 3-point land by hitting 6 of 24 and ended up going 2 out of 5 at the free throw line (40.0%). In relation to attacking the glass, Houston permitted McNeese State to collect 18 in all (4 offensive).

Ja'Vier Francis was important for the Cougars in this contest. He accumulated 23 points in his 25 minutes on the court, but wasn't able to earn an assist. He made 9 out of 9 for the contest for a field goal rate of 100.0%, and added 13 rebounds.

Houston has a mark of 12-1 this year. The Cougars are responsible for committing 14.8 fouls per game while shooting 69.3% from the charity stripe. They are getting an assist 14.8 times per contest (104th in college basketball) and they lose possession via turnover 10.7 times per game. Houston has tallied 965 points on the campaign (74.2 per contest) and they pull down 40.2 boards per contest. When it comes to offense, the Cougars are shooting 46.9% from the floor, which is ranked 84th in the country.

The Houston defense gives up 24.0% on 3-point shots (74 of 308) and their opponents are connecting on 67.6% of their free throw shots. They allow 8.6 assists and 31.5 boards every game, which is 8th and 51st in the nation. The Cougars on the defensive side of the court are 1st in college basketball in points allowed per game with 49.8. They have forced 15.8 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 32.7% from the field (1st in college basketball).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Houston

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