BYU Cougars vs UCF Knights Prediction, 1/13/2024 College Basketball Picks, Best Bets & Odds

Game: BYU Cougars vs UCF Knights

Date: Saturday, January 13, 2024

Location: Addition Financial Arena in Orlando, FL

TV: BIG12|ESPN+

The UCF Knights (10-4) will play the BYU Cougars (12-3) at Addition Financial Arena on Saturday.

The BYU Cougars took the court against Baylor and took a loss by a score of 81-72 in their last game. With respect to fouls, the Cougars ended up walking away with 23 and Baylor racked up 15 fouls. They also converted 10 of their 23 attempts from distance. Baylor finished shooting 75.0% from the free throw line by burying 21 of their 28 attempts. Furthermore, Baylor snagged 21 rebounds (4 offensive, 17 defensive), but wasn't able to record a rejection. Baylor dished out 10 assists and had 7 steals for this game. Pertaining to defending, BYU allowed the other team to go 43.1% from the floor on 25 out of 58 shooting. They also doled out 15 assists for the matchup while forcing the opposition into 5 turnovers and getting 4 steals. When it comes to rebounding, they earned 28 with 4 of them being offensive. At the free throw line, the Cougars converted 11 of 14 tries for a percentage of 78.6%. BYU wrapped up the contest having earned a 49.1% field goal percentage (26 of 53) and knocked down 9 of 24 3-point attempts.

Spencer Johnson is one guy who came through for this game. He ended up shooting 38.5% from the field but had no assists when the game ended. He was on the court for 30 minutes played and grabbed 4 rebounds. He walked away with 15 points on 5 of 13 shooting.

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BYU comes into this one with a mark of 12-3 so far this year. They turn it over 10.6 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 16.9 fouls per contest. As a team, BYU is collecting 43.1 boards per game and has accumulated 324 dimes so far this season, which is 1st in the country in terms of passing the rock. The Cougars are shooting 37.1% from downtown (189 of 509) and 72.2% from the free throw line. They are averaging 87.1 points per outing (7th in the nation) while connecting on 48.1% from the floor.

When they are on the defensive end, the Cougars have forced 12.9 turnovers per contest and they draw 14.2 fouls. They are currently ranked 78th in college basketball in giving up assists to the opposition with 172 relinquished on the year. The Cougars defense is allowing an opponent FG percentage of 40.5% (356 of 878) and they relinquish 31.3 rebounds per game as a unit. They relinquish 27.8% on shots from beyond the perimeter and they are 23rd in Division 1 in PPG allowed (63.5).

The last time they took the court, the UCF Knights walked away with a victory by a final of 65-60 against Kansas. The Knights were able to pull down 17 defensive rebounds and 8 offensive boards for a total of 25 for this contest. They also turned it over 10 times, while recording 8 steals in this game. Kansas committed 15 personal fouls for this game which got the Knights to the charity stripe for a total of 18 tries. They were able to make 14 of the free throw attempts for a percentage of 77.8%. Regarding shots from beyond the arc, UCF buried 7 out of 20 tries (35.0%). In all, the Knights shot 22 out of 52 from the field which had them sitting at 42.3%. The Knights permitted Kansas to convert 24 of their 47 tries from the floor which left them with a shooting percentage of 51.1% for this contest. They finished 33.3% from three-point range by hitting 6 of 18 and finished the game at 6 out of 11 from the free throw line (54.5%). When talking about attacking the glass, UCF allowed Kansas to snag 26 in total (7 offensive).

Jaylin Sellers ended up being a factor for the Knights for the contest. He made 7 of 11 in this game for a field goal percentage of 63.6%, and tallied 2 rebounds. He earned 18 points in his 36 minutes on the hardwood and had 1 assist in this contest.

UCF has a record of 10-4 so far this season. As an offense, the Knights are shooting 43.0% from the field, which is ranked 279th in college basketball. UCF has earned 1,060 pts for the year (75.7 per game) and they collect 39.6 rebounds per game. Their rate of assisting teammates is at 12.7 times per contest (245th in the country) and they lose possession by turning the ball over 13.0 times per game. The Knights are responsible for committing 17.6 fouls per contest and they connect on 69.4% from the free throw line.

The UCF defense concedes 31.7% on shots from behind the 3-point line (90 of 284) and their opponents are knocking down 73.0% of their shots from the free throw line. They surrender 12.1 dimes and 34.1 rebounds on a nightly basis, which ranks them 139th and 144th in the nation. The Knights are ranked 42nd in college basketball in PPG allowed with 64.8. They are able to force 16.8 turnovers on a nightly basis and have allowed teams to shoot 39.7% from the floor (42nd in the country).

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

Tony Sink's Pick: Take UCF

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