Temple Owls vs UCF Knights Prediction, 1/28/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: Temple Owls vs UCF Knights

Date: Saturday, January 28, 2023

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: ESPNU

Addition Financial Arena is the location where the UCF Knights (13-7) will try to beat the Temple Owls (13-9) on Saturday.

The Temple Owls faced South Florida and walked away with a win by a score of 79-76 in their last contest. Temple walked away from the game with a 45.2% FG percentage (28 out of 62) and buried 8 of 26 shots from beyond the arc. When they shot from the charity stripe, the Owls knocked down 15 of their 22 shots for a percentage of 68.2%. With respect to pulling down rebounds, they compiled 38 with 11 of them being of the offensive variety. They also recorded 17 assists for this contest in addition to forcing 15 turnovers and getting 8 steals. In relation to defense, Temple allowed the other team to go 45.5% from the floor on 30 of 66 shooting. South Florida distributed 18 dimes and had 12 steals in this game. Moreover, South Florida pulled down 33 rebounds (9 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't notch a rejection. South Florida finished the game shooting 38.1% at the free throw line by knocking down 8 of their 21 tries. They made 8 out of their 26 tries from distance. In relation to personal fouls, the Owls ended up finishing with 16 and South Florida racked up 18 personal fouls.

Khalif Battle is a guy who was a major contributor in this game. He went 50.0% from the floor and also dished out 2 dimes. He played 32 mins but didn't pull down any boards. He totaled 25 points on 9 of 18 shooting.

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Temple steps onto the hardwood with a win-loss record of 13-9 on the season. They average 69.1 points per outing (243rd in D-1) while going 41.9% from the field. The Owls are hitting 31.3% on shots from distance (166 of 530) and 77.4% from the charity stripe. As a unit, Temple is snagging 35.9 boards per contest and has tallied 286 dimes on the year, which ranks 134th in college basketball in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 13.7 times per contest and as a group are committing 16.9 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end of the court, the Owls have forced 11.7 turnovers per game while drawing 17.6 personal fouls. They concede 30.4% from beyond the arc and they are 146th in college basketball in PPG from their opponents (68.0). The Owls defense is giving up a FG percentage of 41.8% (549 of 1,313) and they relinquish 36.0 boards per game as a unit. They rank 233rd in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 273 relinquished this year.

When they last played, the UCF Knights took a loss by a score of 82-71 when they played Houston. The Knights corralled 16 defensive boards and 8 offensive boards for a total of 24 in the game. They turned it over 6 times, while recording 5 steals for the contest. Houston had 17 personal fouls in this matchup which got the Knights to the free throw line for a total of 19 shots. They were able to knock down 16 of the free throw attempts for a rate of 84.2%. With regard to shots from beyond the perimeter, UCF made 9 of 23 attempts (39.1%). In all, the Knights finished shooting 23 for 53 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 43.4%. The Knights allowed Houston to knock down 29 out of 57 attempts from the field which gave them a rate of 50.9% for the contest. They finished 40.7% from distance by going 11 out of 27 and finished the contest at 13 of 20 at the charity stripe (65.0%). In the matter of how they rebounded, UCF allowed Houston to collect 33 overall (13 offensive).

Ithiel Horton ended up being a major contributor for the Knights for the contest. He made 6 of 12 in the game for a field goal percentage of 50.0%, and tallied 5 rebounds. He totaled 18 points in his 34 mins on the court and tallied 1 assist in the matchup.

UCF has a win-loss record of 13-7 for the campaign. The Knights commit 16.9 personal fouls per contest while shooting 76.6% from the free throw line. They are dishing out assists 13.7 times per game (146th in college basketball) and they are turning it over 13.8 times per game. UCF has earned 1,441 pts on the season (72.1 per contest) and they average 36.8 boards per game. On the offensive side of the court, the Knights are shooting 43.0% from the floor, which is 271st in college basketball.

The UCF defense allows 31.1% on shots from beyond the perimeter (140 of 450) and their opponents are making 73.1% of their free throw attempts. They have conceded 12.1 dimes and 33.2 rebounds every game, which ranks them 136th and 123rd in college basketball. The Knights on the defensive end are ranked 75th in D-1 in points allowed per game with 65.4. They are able to force 14.0 TO's per game and have allowed teams to shoot 40.6% from the field (48th in the nation).

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

Josh Schonwald's Pick: Take Temple

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