UCF Knights vs Florida Gators Prediction, 3/15/2023 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: UCF Knights vs Florida Gators

Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Location: Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, FL

TV: ESPN2

Odds/Point Spread: UCF (+5)

The UCF Knights (18-14) are hitting the road to Exactech Arena at Stephen C. O'Connell Center on Wednesday where they will take on the Florida Gators (16-16). UCF opens this game as 5-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The total is set at 140.

The UCF Knights stepped onto the hardwood against SMU and went home with a win by a final score of 76-70 in their last game. UCF ended the game with a 45.9% field goal percentage (28 of 61) and buried 8 out of their 19 three-point shots. From the charity stripe, the Knights buried 12 of their 16 attempts for a rate of 75.0%. In the matter of grabbing rebounds, they earned 28 with 7 of them being on the offensive end. They also recorded 19 assists in this matchup while creating 12 turnovers and getting 9 steals. Pertaining to defending, UCF allowed their opponent to shoot 43.3% from the field on 26 of 60 shooting. SMU doled out 19 dimes and had 6 steals for this contest. In addition, SMU collected 34 rebounds (10 offensive, 24 defensive), but didn't record a block for the team. SMU finished 92.3% when shooting free throws by knocking down 12 of their 13 attempts. They also converted 6 of their 19 attempts from 3-point range. In the matter of personal fouls, the Knights ended up finishing with 10 while SMU accounted for 12 personal fouls.

C.J. Kelly is someone who was a major contributor for the contest. He finished 54.5% from the floor and also earned 3 assists. He was on the court for 36 minutes played and also totaled 2 rebounds. He accounted for 21 points on 6 out of 11 shooting.

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UCF comes into this game with a win-loss record of 18-14 so far this season. They average 72.2 points per outing (168th in Division 1) while shooting 42.9% from the field. The Knights are shooting 35.9% on shots beyond the perimeter (284 of 790) and 77.1% from the free throw line. As a unit, UCF is grabbing 35.0 rebounds per contest and has totaled 454 dimes this season, which ranks 112th in Division 1 in terms of passing. They turn it over 13.2 times per game and as a group are committing 16.7 fouls every game.

On defense, the Knights have forced 14.6 turnovers on a nightly basis while drawing 16.6 personal fouls. They are 139th in college hoops in allowing assists to their opponents with 394 relinquished for the season. The Knights defense is allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 42.1% (737 of 1,749) and they surrender 33.2 boards per game as a basketball team. They concede 31.3% on 3-pointers and they are 62nd in D-1 in opponents points per game (66.0).

In their last game, the Florida Gators walked away from this one with a loss by a score of 69-68 against Mississippi State. The Gators were able to collect 24 defensive boards and 8 offensive rebounds totaling 32 for the contest. They also coughed it up 16 times, while earning 10 steals in the matchup. Mississippi State committed 16 fouls for the game which took the Gators to the charity stripe for a total of 17 tries. They were able to bury 10 of the free throw tries for a percentage of 58.8%. In the matter of shots from downtown, Florida knocked down 8 out of 35 attempts (22.9%). When the final whistle blew, the Gators walked away from this one shooting 25 for 62 from the floor which gave them a percentage of 40.3%. The Gators permitted Mississippi State to make 25 of their 64 attempts from the field which had them shooting 39.1% in this contest. They finished 14.3% from beyond the perimeter by going 2 of 14 and finished the game at 17 of 28 at the free throw line (60.7%). When it comes to rebounding, Florida allowed Mississippi State to collect 42 overall (14 offensive).

Riley Kugel was important for the Gators for this game. He recorded 21 points in his 32 mins of playing time and had 1 assist in this matchup. He converted 8 of 14 in the game giving him a rate of 57.1%, and added 3 rebounds.

Florida has a record of 16-16 on the season. As an offensive unit, the Gators are connecting on 44.0% from the field, which ranks them 219th in Division 1. Florida has accounted for 2,302 pts so far this season (71.9 per contest) and they grab 34.8 boards per contest. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.4 times per contest (232nd in the country) and they turn it over 11.0 times per game. The Gators commit 16.4 fouls every game and they hit 71.7% from the charity stripe.

The Gators on defense are ranked 140th in college hoops in points allowed per contest with 68.7. They are able to force 12.3 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 41.1% from the field (41st in Division 1). The Florida defense gives up 31.4% on shots from behind the 3-point line (186 of 593) and their opponents are connecting on 70.4% of their free throw shots. They allow 11.3 assists and 38.6 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 75th and 355th in college hoops.

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UCF (+5)

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